While Shanola Hampton is most known for her role on Shameless, the actress played a small but important part in the crime drama Shemar Moore left Criminal Minds in season 11 and stopped playing Agent Derek Morgan.
Some of the recurring and guest characters that appear on Criminal Minds are the family and romantic partners of the main BAU team. Because of the dangerous nature of their work, the agents in the BAU often have complicated personal lives. Not only does Criminal Minds show the emotional complexities the agents experience when working with strangers on intense cases, but sometimes the people they love become tangled up in their investigations. Shanola Hampton's Criminal Minds character is involved in a complicated case with Derek.
Shanola Hampton Played Cindi Burns On Criminal Minds
Shanola Hampton plays Cindi Burns in Criminal Minds, Derek's cousin who was kidnapped and held captive by her stalker Malcolm (Chad L. Coleman). In Criminal Minds season 6, episode 23 "Big Sea," the BAU investigates a case and Derek's aunt Yvonne (Denise Dowse) thinks that Cindi could have been killed by the serial killer in question. Even though Derek finds out the perpetrator did not kill Cindi, he lies so Yvonne can have closure about Cindi's disappearance. But in Criminal Minds season 7, episode 20, "The Company," Derek's sister Desiree (Benita Krista Nall) sees Cindi in a car with Malcolm, proving Cindi is indeed alive.
To have Malcolm arrested, Cindi shoplifts spaghetti, but under the guise of helping him, Cindi rejects her family and uses a lawyer to get Malcolm out of custody. This ends up being a ploy so he will let her pick up their young son Anthony (Dusan Brown). Derek and the BAU team pinpoint their location, and Cindi and Anthony are reunited with their family. With its complex backstory that was long established in the show, "The Company" stands out from other episodes of Criminal Minds, as the emotional stakes Derek and the rest of the BAU feel trying to save Cindi makes the case more complicated to navigate.
Family Is Important To Both Shanola Hampton's Criminal Minds & Shameless Characters
Shanola Hampton's biggest role is in Shameless, where she plays Veronica Fisher, a neighbor and friend of the Gallagher family. While Veronica is often shown helping the Gallagher family in a variety of situations, she also wants to have a family of her own. She and her husband Kevin (Steve Howey) raise foster children, and the two go to great lengths to conceive kids of their own. Even though her appearance in Criminal Minds is brief, Hampton is able to show how important family is to Cindi in her portrayal, and this mirrors how dedicated Veronica is to her loved ones in Shameless.
When Cindi steals the spaghetti, she purposefully picks a spaghetti brand she used to eat with Derek to send him a message. Cindi also refuses to leave her son Anthony behind, showing that even in her perilous situation, she will always put her son's safety and well-being first. It's because of Cindi's familial connection to Derek and her dedication to saving her son that Derek is able to help rescue Cindi and Anthony from captivity. While they go through vastly different situations, Shanola Hampton's characters in Shameless and Criminal Minds go to extremes for their family.
