Why Did Shemar Moore Leave Criminal Minds in Season 11?

Shemar Moore

On the well-liked television show “Criminal Minds,” Shemar Moore seems to have been a fan favorite. Millions of people were moved by Moore’s portrayal of Derek Morgan, the tenacious and endearing agent of the Behavioral Analysis Unit BAU.

Fans still enjoy hearing Morgan refer to Penelope Garcia as his “baby girl” after Moore departed from the CBS crime drama in 2016. The last season of “Criminal Minds” aired in 2020, yet many viewers still watch the show, and some are still curious about Moore’s departure.

On Criminal Minds, who was Derek Morgan?

Derek Morgan, a supervisory special agent, was a member of that first Criminal Minds squad. His father, a police officer, passed away in front of him, leaving him and his two sisters to be raised by a single mother. Carl Buford, who mentored Morgan and turned out to be a sexual predator who assaulted other boys, as well as Derek, was the one who taught Morgan how to behave.

Beginning with the bomb squad of the Chicago Police Department, he then worked for the FBI and the BAU during his career in law enforcement. Morgan played a crucial role on the entire team as a long-standing member of the BAU. He connected particularly well with Penelope Garcia, a technical analyst.

Garcia didn’t operate from a field office; instead, she provided technical assistance and unmatched research abilities from a central location. In addition, Garcia and Morgan had an immensely compelling emotional closeness. A standout aspect of Criminal Minds was undoubtedly their constant banter.

What Motivated Shemar Moore to Leave Criminal Minds?

The fan base of Criminal Minds was shocked when Shemar Moore quit the show, and Derek Morgan was written off in 2017. A large part of that disappointment was due to the Garcia/Morgan connection. Moore wanted to pursue other possibilities and concentrate on his personal life, so he quit Criminal Minds.

Following 11 seasons filming Criminal Minds, Moore has been eager to spend some time unwinding with his loved ones and his pets, something he had never been able to do in a while.

Shemar Moore Walked Away From Criminal Minds To Choose To Pursue A Personal Life.

Flirtatious workaholic Morgan had to wait eight years to find a committed partner. The “off-the-clock side,” when he lets his long hair, dates, has drinks, and has someone in his life, wasn’t ever seen, according to Moore in an interview with TV Guide. So it took eight episodes until Savannah, a pediatrician at Bethesda General Hospital, was introduced to the character during the initial episode of season 9.

Eventually acknowledged Savannah as having a girlfriend in that episode. Moore may identify with the unfinished love life of his character. That was one of the reasons he cited for leaving the position. He told TV Guide that he had said farewell to Criminal Minds a few months following his final episode aired “so I could explore other opportunities in my life. In addition to wanting to travel, I desire to get married and have children.

“After a few years, it seems that, except for Morgan, Moore still needs to meet the person with whom he wishes to have a family. Following leaving Criminal Minds, he has been romantically connected to several well-known ladies, including actress Anabelle Acosta and soccer player Shawna Gordon, both of whom he dated.

He stated that he and Acosta intended to take things slowly while noting that he sought a long-term companion in an interview with Steve Harvey in 2018. (via Extra).

He added, “I’ve accomplished whatever I could do on my own, and now I’ll require that someone… I need that criminal companion to do the remaining tasks.” Regrettably, Acosta was not a suitable match; the couple broke up in 2019, although Moore’s search for love is still ongoing.

Shemar Moore Was Interested In Investigating Further Creative Possibilities.

Moore provided a personal and professional explanation as to why she left Criminal Minds. He disclosed these details in the same TV Guide chat: “Just getting set to develop… I won’t be going to go work for a fortune. I’m leaving simply because I need fuel for my creative fire and am eager to explore new possibilities.”

Moore wanted to show off his acting skills and go beyond the role of the attractive, badass action hero with a gentle side. Although losing such a popular character didn’t help, Moore’s retirement wasn’t the main factor in Criminal Minds being canceled in February 2020 following 15 seasons.

Moore’s reasons for quitting the program have less to do with it and more with life outside of it. Backstage drama makes up a large portion of Criminal Minds’ unseen story.

Hey, I'm Sharon Mittal . Writing has always been my hobby. I write articles on Asian entertainment, especially Kpop and Kdramas. Besides that, I also write about dating kinds of stuff and gossip.