After 11 seasons, Shemar Moore made his final and last appearance as FBI Special Agent Derek Morgan on Wednesday’s Criminal Minds episode. The CBS drama honored the departure of his character by writing a three episode arc.
Criminal Minds executive producer Erica Messer addressed Moore’s departure in a lengthy and heartfelt statement, “All of us at Criminal Minds are sad to say ‘see you later’ to Agent Derek Morgan. Even sadder that our friend Shemar Moore isn’t on set anymore. It was definitely a surprise that he wanted ‘To leap,’ as Shemar said, ‘to try new things.’ For those reasons, we have nothing but love and respect for him and his choice. But it doesn’t mean we can’t also be really, really sad.”
Moore, who began his career at CBS on The Young and the Restless, thanked fans for their unconditional support and invited them on his next journey.
“To my homies, to my fans, to my baby girls: Cry if you have to, scream and yell if you have to, smile, smile, laugh, celebrate,” Moore said in a video shared by CBS. “This is not goodbye; this is goodbye to this part of a dream, this chapter. I’m not going anywhere. You guys haven’t gone anywhere. Without you, my dream is not possible. I can dream all day everyday, but I can’ t make it work unless you support me, unless you root for me, unless you watch me and you believe in me. … With whatever success I may have, it means nothing unless I inspire others. So whoever you are, I’m just like you.”
He continued, “I’ve had a ball. So this party might be ending with me in it, but I promise you, I’ma throw another party and invite all of you.”
