‘Criminal Minds’ A.J. Cook Stuns Fans by Cutting Her Hair Short for New Decade

After the tough year A.J. Cook and her family faced last year, it's no surprise the star decided to make a big change to welcome the new decade. The star left fans stunned by chopping off her luscious locks.

The year ended on a high note for A.J. and her family receiving the amazing news that her husband, Nathan, beat cancer. At the time, A.J. said that cancer picked the “wrong guy to mess with.”

She went on to reveal that the outcome was “like the weight of the world has been lifted.” To mark her lighter feelings at the beginning of a new decade, A.J. decided to make a big change.

Hours before the 'Criminal Minds' premiere, AJ took to Instagram to share a photo of herself. Fans were stunned to see that the actress had chopped her once long mane into a cute pixie style. She captioned her post:

“New decade. New look.”

Most fans including her co-star Aisha Tyler, who called her a “fox,” loved the change. However, some were unimpressed and many argued over her decision to cut off her long locks.

One fan questioned her saying the star's long hair was “much more beautiful.” However, others jumped to her defense saying “because she wanted to and in no way does your opinion matter.”

Amongst the supportive comments was one from Meghan Ory. She took to the comments section to write:

"What!!! Amazing [two red hearts] best ever!"

The change came as a surprise. Especially since A.J. had posted the sneak peek photo from Season 15 still sporting long hair just before her reveal. She wrote:

“Final season of Criminal Minds. I have the BIGGEST knot in my stomach right now. Just know that I’m right there with y’all. Serious #anxiety.”

Season 15 premiered with a double-episode with both fan-favorite actresses Paget Brewster and AJ Cook returning for the final season. Criminal Minds airs Wednesdays at 9 pm on CBS.