AJ Cook Profile, Age, Height, Weight, Family, Affairs, Biography & More
AJ Cook is a Canadian actress. AJ Cook is best known for her role as Supervisory Special Agent Jennifer “JJ” Jareau on the CBS crime drama Criminal Minds (2005–2020, 2022). Cook has also appeared in The Virgin Suicides (1999), Higher Ground (2000), Ripper (2001), Out Cold (2001), Final Destination 2 (2003), and Tru Calling (2003–2004).
Cook’s first job was in a McDonald’s commercial in 1997. She graduated to series work with a guest role on the television series Goosebumps, and parts in two television movies, In His Father’s Shoes and Elvis Meets Nixon. Cook launched her feature film career as one of five suicidal Lisbon sisters in 1999’s The Virgin Suicides. Also that year, she took a starring role in the TV series Higher Ground, in which Cook played Shelby Merrick, a teenage girl dealing with abuse and heartache at a wilderness school for struggling kids. Higher Ground lasted one season, ending with a romance between Shelby and Hayden Christensen’s character, Scott.
After Higher Ground, Cook appeared in the 2000 TV movie The Spiral Staircase (alongside Higher Ground alum Kandyse McClure), and then captured leading roles in several films, including Out Cold (as Jason London’s love interest), Ripper, I’m Reed Fish , and Final Destination 2. In 2003, Cook guest starred in Dead Like Me. She was also in Season One of Tru Calling as Lindsay Walker.
Beginning in September 2005, she starred as Jennifer “J.J.” Jareau in the CBS drama Criminal Minds. On June 14, 2010, it was announced that her contract option would not be picked up for season six as a series regular reportedly due to budget cuts on the show, but she returned for two episodes to wrap up her character’s storyline due to thousands of letters and petitions written to the show’s producers. She also returned for one episode for the departure of Paget Brewster from the series. Former executive producer of ”Criminal Minds”, Ed Bernero, later claimed that CBS executives called him one day and asked him to get rid of Cook and Brewster. Brewster also mentioned in a separate interview that someone from CBS called Bernero and said they wanted “new women” which led to their firing. She said that it was not due to budget cuts as their replacement was paid twice what they were paid.
Cook was raised in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, but she does not limit her acting solely to roles reflecting Mormon beliefs. On August 3, 2001, she married her long-time boyfriend, Nathan Andersen. The two met in a film class at Utah Valley University, and she later moved to Salt Lake City, Utah, to be with him. They reside in Los Angeles, California, with their two sons.
In September 2008, their first son, Mekhai Allan, was born. He appeared as Henry LaMontagne throughout the Criminal Minds series. The couple’s second son, Phoenix Sky, was born in July 2015. Cook and her husband named him Phoenix because they were told that they couldn’t have any more children but Phoenix was a surprise and “just rose up”. He also appeared in Criminal Minds, as Jareau’s second son, Michael.
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