Fangirl Friday: Matt Simmons

 Another Friday, another person I adore. This week's post is about a fictional character again. He is an often ignored character, so I am giving him the spotlight today.

Daniel Henney as Matt Simmons, Criminal Minds

Matt Simmons is a fictional character from my favorite show, Criminal Minds. He is portrayed by the incredibly talented - and awfully pretty - Daniel Henney. He is my favorite character of the Criminal Minds franchise and ranks very high in my ranking of fictional character of all time.

Matt is introduced in season ten, in the episode "Beyond Borders" which was the backdoor pilot for the spin-off, Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders. He started as an International Response Team (IRT) agent and partnered with the Behavioral Analysis Unit (BAU) on a case in Barbados. From his introduction, we learn that he has four children under three years old - which is later retconned to make the kids older. One of his fellow agents, Lily Lambert jokingly calls him "quite the breeder".

Matt Simmons in "Beyond Borders"

Matt would go on to appear in all 26 episodes of CR:BB. We meet his family throughout the series. He is married to Kristy and together they have Jake, David, Chloe, and Lily. In an episode of CR:BB, Matt meets his maternal grandmother for the first time while visiting South Korea. It is revealed that he was raised by a Korean mother and a white father - similar to Daniel Henney. He admits facing racism in his childhood from his father's family. He is from Carson City, Michigan, just like his actor, but his first law enforcement job was in Detroit.

Matt appears again in Criminal Minds in season twelve when he helps the BAU get Spencer Reid out of jail in Mexico. He doesn't become a main character until season thirteen following the death of Special Agent Stephen Walker. Matt remained on with the BAU for the remainder of the original series.

Matt, Kristy, David, Jake, Chloe, and Lily Simmons
Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders

In the episode, "Saturday" Matt is seen losing his mind trying to fix up the nursery for his and Kristy's fifth child that is on the way. Kristy and Matt share with David Rossi that they are having slight financial trouble raising four - soon to be five - kids and anticipating having to pay five college tuitions. Dave learns that while with the IRT, Matt would come home and tell his children stories from his travels and wrote the stories in notebooks. Having published a few books of his own, Dave offers to help Matt publish his book to help make more money. Kristy and Matt go on to name the fifth Simmons child, Rose Mary because it's the closest they could get to "Rossi".

It is mentioned that Matt was in the US military, but there are two contradictions to which part he served in. I believe he or someone else directly mentions he has a connection to the army, but later in the Criminal Minds episode, "Ghost" he mentions the Marines' creed. In the same episode it is revealed that he played basketball in high school and in college.

Matt does not appear in Criminal Minds: Evolutions, but he is mentioned as being away on an assignment.

Matt Simmons in the bullpen

In Criminal Minds: The Mobile Game it is revealed that like Dr. Tara Lewis, Matt likes classic cars and fixing them. I have not completed the game, but I hope it drops more lore for Matt.

Not that you've gotten the low down on Matt, allow me to ramble about him! I have been a fan of Criminal Minds since it started airing. It is the reason I love fictional detective and true crime shows. HOWEVER, I was not a fan of Matt when he initially came onto the show or even when I caught a few episodes of Beyond Borders when it aired. It wasn't until I was on my second rewatch of Criminal Minds back in 2023 that I became attached to Matt.

Matt Simmons, Criminal Minds

I immediately fell in love with him upon hearing his voice again. He has a very soothing and beautiful voice in my opinion. I hyperfixated on the character and Daniel Henney. Being that I had already watched all of CM before, I was able to focus on Matt. I got to appreciate Daniel Henney's subtle acting choices and that is why he became one of my favorite actors.

I love that Matt seems to be one of the only male characters in the show with a healthy balance of work and family life. He is happily married and in love with Kristy - so am I - and he always makes time for his kids. In a season fifteen episode, while Kristy is pregnant with Rose Mary, Matt is on full time dad duty with the four older kids. He wants to cook with them but opts for ordering pizza instead. He makes up a board game with them. The episode ends with him enjoying a glass of wine while listening to Madame Butterfly which he tried to explain to one of his daughters, but she did not grasp it. He is incredibly dedicated to his family and doesn't let work take him away from them emotionally, even if it does physically.

Daniel Henney and Kelly Frye as
Matt and Kristy Simmons in "Ex-Parte"

We see Matt's love and devotion to Kristy in "Ex-Parte" when a group of terrorists break into her work and threaten her life. Let's be honest, a man going wild to save and protect the woman he loves is SO hot.

Thanks to Daniel Henney's performance, Matt is such a fun character to watch even if he's not talking. In subtle body language and smiles, you can see his friendship with Penelope Garcia and Tara. In the subtle expression on his face when he sees Spencer in jail in season ten, you can see how deeply he cares for Spencer. You can even see him contemplate hugging Spencer for a quick moment.

In "Ghost" you see his friendship with Luke Alvez as they both work together to survive being kidnapped and tortured. There's a scene on the plane at the end of the episode where they exchange creeds or mottos for their respective military branches.

Daniel Henney and Adam Rodriguez as
Matt Simmons and Luke Alvez, Criminal Minds

Matt cares for everyone he works with and Daniel Henney's performance really illustrates that. If you're a fan of CM like I am, I highly recommend giving some attention to Matt on your next watch and notice the little things.

Matt is severely ignored or "accidentally" left out by most Criminal Minds fans in discussions or even memes. I understand it to an extent because the writers did very little with him once he joined the main show. However, despite Matt being in the show longer than a few characters that do get mentioned in discussions and memes, he continues to be ignored.

Please stop ignoring Matt. He's a great and fun character. Thank you for letting me ramble about this fictional man I am in love with. Have a great weekend!

Matt Simmons, Criminal Minds