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‘Criminal Minds’ Kirsten Vangsness: “Baby Girl’s” Real-Life Relationship with Shemar Moore

By Merry Strong
Published on: 14:52 PST, Mar 27, 2016

Criminal Minds Kirsten Vangsness and Shemar Moore are great friends, both on-screen and off. So, in essence, even though the BAU is one agent short, the team of Derek and Penelope lives on!

According to a recent interview in Parade, Vangsness says the start of their relationship was “instinctual.” Originally, Penelope was only supposed to be in one episode. The network liked her enough to ask Kirsten back a second time.

At the second reading, not knowing if she should stay (when execs asked everyone but the main cast to leave) Vangsness made the decision to stay. Who wouldn’t if they happened to be sitting next to Shemar Moore, right? They started joking around with each other. It came naturally and the rest is Criminal Minds history! She explains it like this.

Then that night, I get a call. They’re like, “You have new script pages.” I was like, “That’s weird.” Then they sent me this re-write and it included some of the things that I was doing with Shemar. We shot together the next day and we were like, “Oh, my gosh. We have chemistry.” Neither one of us knew it until we were doing it and it just built from there.

Kirsten Vangsness goes on to say that if it wasn’t for Shemar, she wouldn’t have her job or the successes she’s seen. Both do their best to honor their special relationship.

WetPaint recently asked Vangsness about all of the buzz going around about a possible secret love affair between Derek Moore and Penelope Garcia. This was her response.

I didn’t know until I was doing this scene that Penelope Garcia has been head-over-heels, totally in love with him and has been just waiting. And she didn’t know! She’d just been a good friend and doing what she does. That realization comes of, ‘Oh my god.'”

Penelope played a large role in Derek’s departure. That is to say, Vangsness co-wrote (along with Erica Messer) Moore’s final episode. She put “her all” into doing the best job possible. The end result was very bittersweet for everyone involved.

Kirsten gives full support to the rampant fan fiction, which could go on forever, when it comes to “what could have been” with Morgan and Garcia. Great relationships, like theirs, are very hard to forget,

Yes, Criminal Minds is changing. But, it’s not necessarily as bad as it seems. As recently reported by The Inquisitr, there’s always the chance of Derek’s temporary return to help with a case. He’s the first to admit his last day on the set was “brutal.” And, even though he decided to leave the show, before the current season started, he’s open to coming back for an episode.

In addition, Emily Prentiss is coming home to the BAU, in effort to help her friends catch an international serial killer. CBS confirmed Paget Brewster’s return, as short as it may be, back in February. Fans have been anxiously waiting, ever since.

It’s so nice to see on-screen friendships go beyond the set. Some relationships are just meant to be. In this case Criminal Minds Shemar Moore and Kirsten Vangsness’ connection and chemistry gave an extra level of realism to the show. Don’t you think?

What is your favorite Derek and “Baby Girl” memory? What will you miss most about their special bond? Feel free to share your Criminal Minds-related comments below.

Criminal Minds airs Wednesday in CBS.

[Photo by Frederick M. Brown, Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images]

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