Criminal Minds star issues groveling apology after backlash for telling TV critic to 'go work at a shelter'

Paget Brewster has apologized for criticizing a critic.

The actress, 57, on Saturday took to X with ire for ScreenRant writer Shealyn Scott following the publication of a story titled 'Paramount+'s Criminal Minds Format Change Finally Backfires.'  

The thrust of the piece centered around the impact of shorter seasons for the Paramount+ procedural, saying that while they 'may prevent filler episodes ... they also hinder the show's most promising side stories.' 

Brewster said in a post she would subsequently delete, according to Variety, 'Hello critic Shealynn Scott. You're young. You don't know that bad pics and bad reviews can lead to 350 people losing their jobs.'

Brewster, who plays the role of FBI agent Emily Prentiss on Criminal Minds, then listed a series of professions she appeared to imply would be higher value than reviewing TV shows.

'Sell vintage,' the Concord, Massachusetts-born star said. 'Work at a shelter. Do something better than what you do now. Because right now you suck.'

Brewster's tone turned after a number of Scott's peers in journalism slammed the actress for her sharp words to the TV critic.

The Hollywood Reporter's David Rooney said in the replies to Brewster, 'This is a very bad look.

'An actor on a long-running show attacking a young reviewer who contextualizes her respectful criticisms with obvious knowledge of the material - says way more about u being thin-skinned than it does about her professionalism. "Work at a shelter," really?!'

Andy Behbakht of ScreenRant wrote to Brewster, 'This is disgusting behavior on your part, and really tragic to see you tearing down a young female journalist whom you are literally telling that she "sucks" and that she shouldn't be in the field that she is in.

'I stand by my colleague, and you owe her an apology.'

Brewster said in a subsequent tweet that she was out of line in initially lashing out at Scott.

'Hi guys, I was mean to Shealyn Scott last night and I profoundly regret it,' Brewster said. '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.'

On the Criminal Minds subreddit, fans of the series had mixed reactions to Brewster's apology, with one commenter saying it read 'like she woke up to an earful from the powers that be.'

Another user said, 'That apology is weird too. Is she going through something?'

One person said 'Paget is old enough to know better and should never have posted that tweet insulting the reviewer in the first place.'

Others spoke up for the star for accepting accountability for the social media miscue.

'She did the right thing,' said one user. 'She crashed out in public, and she apologized in public. How many people refuse to even admit they were wrong? Good on her for owning the issue.'

Another said that Brewster's apology was 'stellar' asking, 'When is the last time you saw someone with any kind of platform take accountability for their actions?

'She fully apologized like an adult, admitted her faults, and even said she was the sucky one.'