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Damon Gupton has signed on as a new series regular for season 12. He will be introduced in episode eight.
Criminal Minds has cast Thomas Gibson's replacement.
Damon Gupton has joined the cast of the CBS procedural, The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed.
Gupton will play Special Agent Stephen Walker, a new hire who hails from the Behavioral Analysis Program which is the counterintelligence division of the FBI. A seasoned profiler, he will bring his spy-hunting skill set to the BAU. Gupton's character will be introduced in the eighth episode of season 12.
“Our BAU family is growing,” showrunner Erica Messer said. “We’re excited to have Damon join the show and work alongside our amazing cast and crew.”
His casting comes roughly a month and a half after the sudden exit of star Thomas Gibson, who was fired from long-running drama after an alleged altercation on the set with a writer on the series. Gibson had been with the show since its 2005 debut.
Gupton joins recent new addition Adam Rodriguez, who was added for season 12 following the departure of another longtime star, Shemar Moore, who left towards the end of season 11. Additionally, former star Paget Brewster signed on to return as a series regular for season 12 in the wake of Gibson's exit.
The upcoming second episode of the season, which airs Wednesday, will be Gibson's last. However, it remains to be seen how his character will be written out of the series.
Other cast members on Criminal Minds include Joe Mantegna, Matthew Gray Gubler, A.J. Cook, Aisha Tyler -- also promoted to series regular for season 12 -- and Kirsten Vangsness. Criminal Minds is co-produced by ABC Studios and CBS Television Studios.
A Julliard grad, Gupton's small screen credits include recurring roles on Empire, Bates Motel and David E. Kelley's upcoming Amazon legal drama Goliath. His film credits include the upcoming Oscar hopeful La La Land, Whiplash and This is 40.
Criminal Minds airs Wednesdays at 9 p.m. on CBS.
Criminal Minds
