Why did Jennifer Love Hewitt leave Criminal Minds after one season?

There is no doubt that I Know What You Did Last Summer and Ghost Whisperer fans were excited to learn Jennifer Love Hewitt would join the cast of Criminal Minds. She ended up only in for one season, despite it looking initially like she would be around for longer.

Hewitt took on the role of Kate Callahan, and she quickly made friends and gained support in the BAU. Hewitt even said that she was excited to play a character different to those she had played ever before.

Callahan joined the team after Alex Blake resigned in the Criminal Minds Season 9 finale. While it looked like it was for the long-term, we lost Callahan in the Season 10 finale, when Callahan had a case that got rather personal. Her niece Meg was abducted by human traffickers.

Why Kate Callahan resigned from the BAU in Criminal Minds

The storyline saw Callahan question her time with the team. It wasn’t that she didn’t like the job or the people that she worked with. It was all linked to safety and time with family.

Callahan found out at the end of Season 10 that she was pregnant. Mixed with Meg being in danger, Callahan decided that it was right for her to leave the team and spend more time with her family.

She was never seen again in the series.

Jennifer Love Hewitt left Criminal Minds due to pregnancy

It turned out that the departure was Hewitt’s choice, and it was also for personal reasons. Hewitt was pregnant with her second child, and she wanted to take time off to be fully present for her growing family.

This was never initially planned. According to CBR, showrunner Erica Messer shared that the finale had to be written to include Callahan leaving. The initial plan was for Hewitt to stick around longer in the show.

It is somewhat poetic in that Aisha Tyler came into the series after Hewitt’s departure. The two were costars on the first season of Ghost Whisperer until Tyler left. Having Tyler’s Tara Lewis take over from Hewitt’s Kate Callahan just seemed like such a perfect move in the world of Hollywood.