What's the skinny on Lola ...

Question: What's the skinny on Lola Glaudini leaving Criminal Minds? The show acts like she never existed!

Answer: Enough of you have asked about this that I finally got executive producer Ed Bernero on the horn and asked him for an explanation. "It was definitely a mutual decision. We were looking for a way to shake the cast up a little bit, and she really wanted to go home. She lives in New York and really wanted to go home and do theater. She didn't love being here in Los Angeles. It was a very amicable parting." As far as the show acting like Elle never existed, Bernero says that, because of the way Minds works, it wouldn't have made sense to refer back to the character's exit. "We don't follow the sort of 'It's the next week' [rule]. We just look at it as this is another case. For instance, she was shot in the first episode, and the next episode it was six months later. I imagine if there's an opportunity to mention her, it would happen, but there's really been no reason to."