Inside the Love Lives of the “Criminal Minds: Evolution” Cast (Including a Couple Whose Wedding Was Officiated by a Costar!)
Inside the Love Lives of the “Criminal Minds: Evolution” Cast (Including a Couple Whose Wedding Was Officiated by a Costar!)
Jacqueline Weiss, Emily BlackwoodFri, May 29, 2026 at 1:00 PM UTC
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Arlene Vrhel and Joe Mantegna on August 27, 2022 in Laguna Beach, California. ; A. J. Cook and Nathan Andersen on October 18, 2014 in Santa Monica, California.
Credit: Michael Kovac/Getty; Donato Sardella/Getty
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Criminal Minds: Evolution stars like Joe Mantegna and A.J. Cook have been married for decades
Paget Brewster's wedding to Steve Damstra was officiated by her Criminal Minds costar Matthew Gray Gubler
Other cast members, like Kirsten Vangsness, have kept the status of their love lives private
Criminal Minds: Evolutionhas little to do with love, but that hasn't stopped fans from wondering about the cast's off-screen relationships.
The original CBS series ran for 15 seasons, following the FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit (BAU) as they tracked down serial killers.
Only two years after Criminal Minds concluded, the series returned as Criminal Minds: Evolution,bringing back stars like Joe Mantegna, A.J. Cook, Paget Brewster and Kirsten Vangsness. Season 4 of the series premiered in May 2026.
While her on-screen spouse has exited the series, Cook has been happily married to her husband, Nathan Andersen, since 2001. Meanwhile, her longtime costar Mantegna has been married for 50 years to his wife Arlene Vrhel since 1975.
Here’s everything to know about the real-life partners of the Criminal Minds: Evolution cast.
01 of 08
Joe Mantegna and Arlene Vrhel
Joe Mantegna and his wife Arlene Vrhel attend the 2nd annual Borgnine movie star gala honoring actor Joe Mantegna at Sportman's Lodge on February 1, 2014 in Studio City, Calif.
Credit: Tibrina Hobson/FilmMagic
Mantegna, who stars as Supervisory Special Agent David Rossi, began dating his future wife in 1969 after they were both cast in a production of Hair in Chicago.
“We just had a lot of fun, but we didn’t get married for the longest time because we were hippies,” Vrhel told PEOPLE in 1997.
The couple ultimately wed in 1975, after exchanging informal, private vows at the top of the Eiffel Tower a few weeks earlier.
Their daughter, Mia, was born in 1987, followed by daughter Gia in 1990. Gia has previously appeared on Criminal Minds as serial killer Lindsey Vaughn.
02 of 08
A.J. Cook and Nathan Andersen
A.J. Cook and Nathan Andersen at 54th Monte Carlo Television Festival in Monaco on June 11, 2014
Credit: Niviere/Villard/Sipa/Shutterstock
Cook, who has starred as Jennifer "JJ" Jareau since season 1, married her husband, Andersen, on Aug. 3, 2001.
The couple met in a film college class, and Cook said she knew immediately that Andersen was the one for her.
“It was one of those super cheesy moments where the room stands still, our eyes connected, the air got sucked out of me,” she told Southbay Magazine in 2020. “It was like I saw his soul, and I knew him in that instant. I guess that’s what a soul mate is. I had never felt anything like that before.”
They welcomed their first son, Mekhai Allan, on Sept. 13, 2008, followed by son Phoenix Sky on July 23, 2015. Both of Cook’s pregnancies were written into Criminal Minds, with her sons portraying her children on the series.
03 of 08
Kirsten Vangsness
Kirsten Vangsness at The Art of Elysium's 2024 Heaven Gala held at The Wiltern on January 6, 2024 in Los Angeles
Credit: Tommaso Boddi/Variety via Getty
Vangsness, who stars as the beloved tech analyst Penelope Garcia, has kept her personal life private.
In November 2015, she announced her engagement to Keith Hanson, telling PEOPLE at the time, "he's the perfect partner for me and I feel like we evolve."
However, she hasn't commented on their relationship since, and they haven't been seen together in a number of years.
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04 of 08
Aisha Tyler
Aisha Tyler attends US-Ireland Alliance's 2024 Oscar Wilde Awards at Bad Robot on March 7, 2024 in Santa Monica
Credit: Leon Bennett/Getty
Aisha Tyler, who portrays Dr. Tara Lewis, split from her husband of 20 years, Jeffrey Tietjens, in January 2015. The pair were college sweethearts and married on May 21, 1994.
Their divorce was finalized in May 2017.
05 of 08
Adam Rodriguez and Grace Gail
Grace Gail and Adam Rodriguez attend the 2017 Time 100 Gala at Jazz at Lincoln Center on April 25, 2017 in New York City
Credit: ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty
Adam Rodriguez, who joined the cast in season 12 as Luke Alvez, a task force agent, has been married to Grace Gail since May 2, 2016.
The actor admitted during a 2025 interview on Live with Kelly and Mark that he and Gail both “wouldn’t remember” their own anniversary each year if it weren’t for his parents calling.
Their daughter, Frankie Elle, was born in April 2014, followed by daughter Georgie Daye in February 2017 and son Bridgemont Bernard in March 2020.
06 of 08
Paget Brewster and Steve Damstra
Paget Brewster and musician Steve Damstra attend the 141st Kentucky Derby on May 1, 2015 in Louisville, Kentucky
Credit: Michael Loccisano/Getty
Brewster joined the original Criminal Minds as Special Agent Emily Prentiss in season 2, and has been married to her husband, composer Steve Damstra, since 2014.
The wedding was a Criminal Minds affair as her costar Matthew Gray Gubler officiated the ceremony.
"She had dated some people and was sort of like, 'I'm fine with either being alone or not,' and then she met Steve, who swept her off her feet and then she knew what the lifetime of waiting was for," Gubler told Glamour in 2015 of his adoration of the couple. "I admire that."
07 of 08
Zach Gilford
Zach Gilford on 'What What Happens Live with Andy Cohen'
Credit: Charles Sykes/Bravo via Getty
Zach Gilford, who plays mastermind serial killer Elias Voit, split from his wife of 12 years, Kiele Sanchez, in April 2025.
Sanchez previously portrayed Gilford's on-screen wife, Sydney Voit, on Criminal Minds: Evolution.
They share two children, Zeppelin and Revel.
08 of 08
Matthew Gray Gubler
Matthew Gray Gubler attends the "Zoe" premiere during the 2018 Tribeca Film Festival at BMCC Tribeca PAC on April 21, 2018 in New York City
Credit: Ben Gabbe/Getty
Gubler, who briefly returned to the series for the first time since 2020 as Dr. Spencer Reid, is not known to be romantically involved with anyone.
The actor was previously in a relationship with Kat Dennings “for a long time,” he told Glamour in 2015, “I'm still really good friends with her. I love Kat. She's the best.”
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
