Criminal Minds Star Paget Brewster's Gray Hair Transformation Is So Stunning

For some women, making the transition to gray can be a difficult choice. With all of the societal stigma surrounding women and age, many associate gray hair with being "old." "Criminal Minds" star Paget Brewster is showing that going gray can actually be quite glamorous and exciting. As one of the celebrities who proudly shows off their gray hair, Brewster has embraced her new look wholeheartedly. While Brewster looked gorgeous with black hair, the actor's gray transformation has been absolutely stunning to witness.

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For most of her career, Brewster wore her hair naturally dark and straight, occasionally switching up her look with blunt fringe bangs. Shortly after the original "Criminal Minds" series came to an end, Brewster decided to allow her gray to fully show — differentiating herself from her character Emily Prentiss. Now, the actor is showing off her long silver tresses, for which she uses gray blending to seamlessly transform her look and provide definition. A little-known fact about the actor's transition to gray is that Brewster actually began to grow her gray out while still filming the last season of "Criminal Minds." 

"On the original series, I wore a wig for the last year," she revealed to Good Housekeeping in 2025. "I thought our show was over and we weren't going to continue. I wanted to see what work was out there and I wanted to look different from Prentiss. So I grew out my gray to see how it would go." Upon returning for the hit crime series' sequel show "Criminal Minds: Evolution" in 2022, Brewster (now with a full head of silver strands) debated once again wearing a dark wig for the role; however, after talking with showrunner Erica Messer and the network, they decided letting Brewster rock her natural gray hair on-screen was the right choice. 

While Paget Brewster looks gorgeous with gray hair, the actor has candidly expressed that she was nervous to debut her new hair on "Criminal Minds: Evolution." During her 2025 Good Housekeeping interview, Brewster explained that she was relieved to see the support she received from fans regarding Emily Prentiss' gray hair. "It just makes me feel stronger about my decision. If everyone had said it was awful, I probably would've had a struggle," Brewster said. 

But the "Criminal Minds" fandom aren't the only ones to appreciate Brewster's new look. During an interview with TVLine about the "Criminal Minds" sequel series, Brewster's longtime co-star A.J. Cook praised Prentiss' new look. "I call it her 'Prentiss 2.0'," Cook said. "There's a little sass there and she's got this beautiful silver gray hair now and it's stunning. Just the confidence which exudes from her is really impressive."

Brewster often updates her followers on social media about her feelings on the aging process. "I like my grey hair. I have felt pressure to dye it, pretend to be 35 again, no thanks," Brewster wrote in an X post from 2022. A couple years later in 2024, the "Criminal Minds" star even addressed how difficult it can be for older women in Hollywood to wear their natural hair. "I'm discovering it's okay I'm getting older naturally," Brewster posted alongside a gray-haired selfie. "That's a tough choice in Hollywood." It is refreshing to see an actor like Brewster not only embrace her beautiful natural hair, but also discuss the pressure that the entertainment industry puts on women to try to look young forever. Brewster is choosing herself, and we love to see it.  

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