'Criminal Minds' star Paget Brewster apologizes for slamming journalist

"Criminal Minds" star Paget Brewster has apologized after facing widespread criticism for lashing out at a journalist for their coverage of the show.

Brewster, who stars as Emily Prentiss on the Paramount+ crime series, took to X on June 20 to slam an article published by ScreenRant titled "Paramount+'s Criminal Minds Format Change Finally Backfires," which focused on the show's shift to shorter seasons.

After calling out the author of the piece by name and sharing a link to the article, Brewster wrote in the since-deleted X post, "You're young. You don't know that bad pics and bad reviews can lead to 350 people losing their jobs. Sell vintage. Work at a shelter. Do something better than what you do now. Because right now you suck."

USA TODAY has reached out a representative for Brewster for comment.

In the ScreenRant article, Shealyn Scott, a self-publishing senior writer, argued that recent seasons of "Criminal Minds" have felt too short. The show's first 13 seasons, which aired on CBS, had at least 20 episodes each, whereas the past several seasons on Paramount+ have only consisted of 10 episodes.

Scott said the reduced episode count has led to pacing issues, writing, "Admittedly, the Paramount+ version of 'Criminal Minds' likely wouldn't need 20 episodes each year, but its narrative demands more room to breathe." The piece was accompanied by an official promotional image of Brewster in the show that was released by Paramount for use in media coverage.

Brewster received significant backlash on social media for targeting a journalist for coverage she did not like, and on June 21, she issued a public apology to Scott.

"Hi guys, I was mean to Shealyn Scott last night and I profoundly regret it," Brewster wrote. "Shame on me for insulting a human being for doing their job. I'm very sorry, Shealyn. And I'm sorry to those who follow me that you saw me behave like that. Turns out, last night, I sucked."

Prior to her apology, many other entertainment journalists slammed Brewster and jumped to Scott's defense. Journalist Christopher Marc called the actress' comments "highly unprofessional," while writer Gerrick Kennedy said it was "horrible to treat a journalist that way," especially considering the writer of the article is "clearly a fan of the show and wrote thoughtful coverage."

Writer Ben Dreyfuss also posted that while "we should all protect everyone's right to make art," the "deal with making art is that you are open to criticism."

In a statement shared with USA TODAY, Rob Keyes, editorial, brand and PR director for ScreenRant, said "I appreciate that Paget Brewster deleted the post and apologized," adding the show's publicists also passed along "a personal note from her" and the showrunner reached out directly.

"Criticism of our work is fair game, but personal attacks on individual writers are neither productive nor warranted, especially when amplified to a large audience across social media," Keyes continued. "I'm glad the situation was resolved. The most frustrating aspect is that much of the reaction appeared to mischaracterize the article itself. I also appreciate the members of the media community who spoke up against online harassment to defend the author and their work."

Outside of "Criminal Minds," Brewster is also known for her roles on "Community" and "Friends." She has starred on "Criminal Minds" since the second season in 2006.

"Criminal Minds," which shifted from CBS to Paramount+ in 2022, returned for its 19th season on May 28 and will run through July. The show has already been renewed for Season 20.