Joe Mantegna Pens an Open Letter to Fans after Filming His Final Episode of ‘Criminal Minds’

After 12 years of seeing Joe Mantegna as special agent David Rossi on hit American drama series “Criminal Minds”, it’s time to say goodbye. The actor penned an open letter with a heavy heart to fans for almost two decades of their love and support.

Mantegna took to Twitter to share that he filmed his final scene in the CBS series. The actor poured his heart out in an open letter, sharing his experience of being a part of the show for a long time.

“As I wrap up my last day of filming Criminal Minds, I can’t help but reflect in awe at what a truly wonderful experience it has been. As you know I came to a show already in production. I was welcomed by the cast and crew instantly, making me feel part of the team on day one,” Mantegna wrote as he reminisced the good times he has had during the filming.

“The next 12 years would be a wild and wonderful ride. Yes, I will miss playing David Rossi, and I’ll miss the wonderful writing that brought him to life, but mostly I will miss seeing my fellow cast mates and our fantastic crew every day. It may seem a cliché to say we’re like family, but it’s so very true,” he continued.

Reflecting on how the team evolved during their time together as a part of the show, he wrote: “In 15 seasons we’ve all grown a little older, hopefully, a little wiser too. We laughed together, we cried together, and like a family, we gained and lost members along the way. Some got married, some got divorced, some had children, some had more than one!”

The actor concluded the letter by thanking all the fans for their continuous support throughout the series.

Mantegna is not the only one who left Criminal Minds--actors A.J Cook, Mandy Patinkin, Paget Brewster, Shemar Moore, Jennifer Love Hewitt, and Thomas Gibson are some of the cast members who left as well.

CBS announced the show would be concluded at season 15 with an “epic” final season. We look forward to see if they will do justice to the series.