In 2009, People reported that "Criminal Minds" actress A.J. Cook and husband Nathan Anderson welcomed their first son, Mekhi Allen. Then in 2015, reported Us Weekly, the couple expanded their family when they welcomed their second child, son Phoenix Allen. According to Distractify, both of Cook's children have appeared on "Criminal Minds," with her real-life kids playing the sons of her character, Jennifer "JJ" Jareau.

Ahead of "Criminal Minds" concluding its 15-season run in 2020, Cook and star Joe Mantegna reflected on their years with the show for an interview with "ET Canada." As Mantegna pointed out, when he joined the series, Cook didn't have children. "By the time the show ended, not only did she have children, they were characters on the show," Mantegna explained. "They literally were her children on the show, which was so fantastic." He also noted that while some TV series try to hide the pregnancy of an actress, "Criminal Minds" embraced both of Cook's pregnancies. "I mean, we incorporated those kids into the show, and her pregnancies into the show, and I thought, how great was that, how smart was that," Mantegna added.