‘Criminal Minds’ Season 13 Spoilers: Kirsten Vangsness, A.J. Cook To Return After Securing New Deals

“Criminal Minds” Season 13 will continue to feature Kirsten Vangsness’ and A.J. Cook’s characters.

According to TV Line, the co-stars have secured new deals with CBS to reprise their roles as Penelope and JJ, respectively. A few weeks ago, “Criminal Minds” cast members Joe Mantegna and Matthew Gray Gubler re-signed for the upcoming 13th season of the hit CBS series. However, Vangsness and Cook held out for salary parity with their male co-stars.

Read: Why did David Gupta leave “Criminal Minds” after less than one season?

Earlier this week, “Criminal Minds” star Damon Gupta exited the series despite joining the cast only last season. He played the role of Special Agent Stephen Walker and was cast following Timothy Gibson’s controversial firing.

Last year, Gibson was involved in an altercation on the set of the series. He allegedly kicked writer-producer Virgil Williams during the production of an episode that Gibson was directing.

Meanwhile, “Criminal Minds” has experienced several cast shakeups other than Gibson’s firing and Gupta’s exit. Ahead of Season 12, actor Adam Rodriguez was cast as a series regular. CBS Entertainment president Glenn Geller released a statement about the new cast addition and said, “We’re all big fans of Adam’s and are excited to welcome him back to the CBS family. We have exciting storylines planned for his character and the entire BAU team as we head into our 12th season.”

Additionally, Paget Brewster has been promoted to series regular. In Season 12, Brewster’s character, SSA Emily Prentiss, made a temporary comeback on the show. Executive producer Erica Messer expressed her excitement over Brewster’s new status. “We’re all so excited to have Paget with us full time. The BAU family has definitely missed her, on screen and off. Having her back on set has been great, it’s like she never left,” she said.

Just like Brewster, Aisha Tyler was also promoted to series regular. The actress plays the role of Dr. Tara Lewis in the series. Tyler first appeared in “Criminal Minds” in the premiere episode of Season 11.

CBS announced the renewal of “Criminal Minds” in April. The drama is expected to premiere sometime in the fall.