Criminal MindsStar Josh Stewart Exits Series: 'My Days of Playing Will LaMontagne Jr. Are Over'

Mar. 15, 2025

Josh Stewart at The Punisher premiere in 2019.Photo:Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty

Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty

Josh Stewart won’t be returning toCriminal Minds: Evolution.

In response to a fan whoinquired on X (formerly Twitter)about his character’s fate, the actor said: “No sadly, my days of playing Will LaMontagne Jr. are over.”

“You guys have been the absolute best,” he added.

Stewart, 46, first stepped into Will’s shoes for season 2 of the originalCriminal Mindsseries. He’s been a somewhat constant face on the show ever since, appearing seasonally until a romance blossomed between his andA.J. Cook’s character Special Agent JJ Jareau.

The pair got married during the show’s seventh season.

(L-R) Allison Nordahl as Holly, Josh Stewart as William LaMontagne, Mia Coleman as Harlow and A.J. Cook as Jennifer on ‘Criminal Minds: Evolution’.Michael Yarish /Paramount+

Michael Yarish /Paramount+

The conclusion of the cancer storyline saw Will treated for a thyroid problem, and Messer teased, “next [season], hopefully, he’s going to be OK.” She added, “he’s not necessarily out of the woods forever.”

It remains unclear if Stewart’s character was written out of season 2 intentionally, or if he decided to step away from the show. PEOPLE has reached out to Paramount+ for comment.

Criminal Minds: Evolutionfirst debuted in 2022.Joe Mantegna(Dave), Paget Brewster (Emily Prentiss), Kirsten Vangsness (Garcia), Aisha Tyler (Tara) and Adam Rodriguez (Luke) all returned for the series.

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Criminal Minds: Evolutionis now streaming on Paramount+, and episodes from the originalCriminal Mindsseries can be found on Hulu.

source: people.com