Freaky gourds and quirky kid's books!
Let's follow the magic tunnel to Gublerland to see how Matthew Gray Gubler has been filling
the hours since "Criminal Minds."
Matthew Gray Gubler booked a small role in the psychological drama "Horse Girl," which
came out in February 2020 – the same month "Criminal Minds" aired its last episode.
Written by "Community" star Alison Brie and well-known director Jeff Baena, the movie
follows a woman named Sarah experiencing a psychological downward spiral.
Gubler plays Darren Colt, a character in a supernatural series Sarah is a huge fan of.
During its premiere at the Sundance Film Festival, Gubler praised the movie for its unique storytelling,
stating that it was "an incredible work of art."
He'd later follow that up with an Instagram post showing a "Horse Girl" coaster he stole
from the wrap party, writing,
"It's rare that I like a movie enough to casually distract a waiter at its wrap party so I can
steal a promotional coaster.
[...] It's a great coaster but an even greater film."
Alongside his acting ventures, Matthew Gray Gubler also built an impressive list of directorial credits.
From a 15-minute mockumentary titled "Matthew Gray Gubler's Life Aquatic Intern Journal"
to 12 episodes of "Criminal Minds," Gubler's directorial pursuits did not go under the
radar throughout his stint as an actor.
This passion of his ultimately allowed him to collaborate with the American rock band
The Killers for their music videos "Don't Shoot Me Santa" in 2007 and "Dirt Sledding"
in 2015.
Five years after his last collaboration with them, Gubler teamed up with another well-known
band, but this time as their male lead.
In 2020, the Baltimore-native synthpop band Future Islands produced a music video for
their song "Moonlight," which was off their 6th studio album, "As Long as You Are."
In it, Gubler can be seen alongside actress Callie Hernandez portraying a couple at their
wit's end in their relationship.
Following its release, the multitalented actor took to Instagram to announce his involvement
in the music video, writing:
"Beautiful song with a beautiful message from a beautiful band."
Matthew Gray Gubler's experience in starring in comedic shorts goes as far back as his
first directing job, "Matthew Gray Gubler's Life Aquatic Intern Journal" in 2005.
While on the set of "The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou," Gubler used his time to film
a behind-the-scenes of his first experience as an actor.
Though it covered real events of his life at the time, the tone of the 15-minute short
film was filled with sarcasm and satire.
"I asked the real life ship captain about the authenticity of the film.
Tell us about pirates."
After snagging the role of Dr. Spencer Reid in "Criminal Minds," Gubler continued to indulge
in this personal project and started an online series called "Matthew Gray Gubler: The Unauthorized
Documentary."
During his 15-year stint on the show, Gubler regularly updated his YouTube channel with
these makeshift mockumentaries that hilariously captured the actor's dramatic ventures behind
the scenes of "Criminal Minds."
"Matthew is devolving."
Once the show ended, Gubler uploaded the season 2 finale where he is ironically unaware of
the show's cancellation – a running joke he used during his press runs leading up to
the final episode of "Criminal Minds."
After "learning about the news," Gubler jokingly vandalized any "Criminal Minds" memorabilia
he found in his trailer while threatening to quit before the show's finale.
These sporadic uploads featured his castmates as guest appearances throughout the satire-filled series.
To add to his long list of comedy appearances, Matthew Gray Gubler found himself booking
another gig for another show while filming "Criminal Minds."
Starting in 2019, Gubler guest starred in several episodes of the comedy series "Dollface."
The show follows Jules, played by Kat Dennings, as she rebuilds her social life after her
boyfriend suddenly breaks up with her.
Starring alongside "Suite Life of Zack and Cody" actress Brenda Song and "Pretty Little
Liars" actress Shay Mitchell, Gubler played a veterinarian named Wes, who happened to
be Jules' potential love interest.
"You know I just think Turtle could maybe use a little space, if you guys don't mind
clearing out."
Season 1 proved successful enough for Hulu to renew it for another season.
While the show's return meant that we'd see the loveable girl group return to their random
antics, it also meant that Gubler reprised his role as the dreamy yet awkward animal doctor.
He starred in four more episodes just two years after his departure from "Criminal Minds."
Although the actor played a smaller role previously, appearing sporadically throughout the first
season, the second season made Gubler feel more like a regular.
Alongside his on-screen pursuits, Matthew Gray Gubler has crafted a respectable voice-acting career.
This goes as far back as 2007 when he voiced Simon from "Alvin and the Chipmunks," although
you'd be hard-pressed to tell it's him given the sound editing used to give his character
his signature pitch.
"Isn't that, like, cheating?"
"No, it's not like cheating."
From there, he not only reprised his role as the intelligent brother of the trio, but
also snagged several voice-acting gigs during his time on "Criminal Minds."
Some of these included voicing Jimmy Olsen in "All-Star Superman," Winsor in "Scooby-Doo!
Legend of the Phantosaur," and Riddler in "Batman: Assault on Arkham."
Following his departure from "Criminal Minds," Gubler continued his voice-acting pursuits.
In 2021, he added to his extensive resume by lending his voice to an episode of "Cinema Toast."
The short-lived series followed a unique formula that had stars dubbing their voices over scenes
taken from old public domain films.
By re-editing and re-scoring the original footage, it aimed to tell new and modern stories
using scenes from older movies.
In the episode "After the End," writer and director Mel Eslyn used scenes from the 1959
thriller "Beast from Haunted Cave" and got Gubler to take part in a story re-contextualizing
the meaning of being a monster.
Given his quirkiness, it's hardly surprising that Matthew Gray Gubler went on to star in
yet another comedy deemed hilariously strange after he departed from "Criminal Minds."
Touching on subjects related to the occult, Gubler played Thorn in the 2021 comedic drama
"King Knight."
Written by Richard Bates Jr., the story follows the lives of a high priest and priestess named
Thorn and Willow as they go on a journey of self-discovery and learn shocking facts about
each other along the way.
"What sport did you play?"
"Lacrosse."
"Noooooo!"
Despite its absurdities, the movie's theme of acceptance of oneself is a message Gubler
has commonly embodied throughout his career as an actor.
Along with its strong cast, the comedic tone within the movie added a level of depth that
is present in Gubler's work.
Gubler's co-star, Angela Sarafyan, praised the film for how relatable the story was to her.
She told The List:
"For me, that world was very relatable where she comes from.
I'm not a witch, but I could see the white witch qualities about loving to be loving
and kind.
Those are the aspects."
As a man of many passions, Matthew Gray Gubler often uses his various social media accounts
as an outlet for his creative endeavors.
From his eccentric Halloween ensembles to his love for gourds, Gubler maintains a unique
presence on the internet, giving his fans just enough insight into his life without
giving away too much.
One of the many spectacles he showcases on his Instagram is his artwork.
While many see their Instagram as a collage of life's precious moments, Gubler turned
his Instagram into a portfolio of various drawings and paintings he's done over the years.
Following his departure from "Criminal Minds," the actor continued to share his artwork with
his followers on Instagram.
With a style resembling that of underground contemporary artists, Gubler's art pieces
are intentionally imperfect and delightfully odd.
On May 11, 2021, Gubler took to Instagram to unveil a portrait he did for his mother
for Mother's Day.
He wrote in the caption:
"I hope everyone had a wonderful day with their mother.
They are truly the world's most magical creatures."
Although his Instagram contains posts ranging from paintings to interesting Halloween ensembles,
the "Criminal Minds" actor launched an all-in-one website dedicated to his creative mind.
After months of build-up, Gubler took to Instagram on February 15, 2021, to announce the new
and improved "Gublerland."
He wrote:
"Gublerland has always been built on the invisible rays of lavender light that emanate from getting
to entertain such a loving and singular group of human gemstones."
The 15-month-long renovation of his 2004 website saw the return of the many subsections contained
in the previous version.
Drawn by Gubler himself, the website serves not only as a source of entertainment, but
also as his own personal portfolio, linking to several movies and personal projects he's
worked on.
Anything from his latest art pieces to his appearances on podcasts can be found in Gublerland.
Alongside his other creative pursuits, Matthew Gray Gubler published the children's book
"Rumple Buttercup: A Story of Bananas, Belonging, and Being Yourself" during his time on "Criminal Minds."
Gubler appeared on KTLA 5 to explain the origin of Rumple Buttercup and what makes his story
so special.
"It's about a, sort of a nervous little monster who spends his entire life hiding underground."
Originally written as an autobiography, Gubler shared that his distorted sense of belonging
is similar to that of the little green monster.
The children's book quickly became a New York Times No. 1 bestseller, suggesting that the
story connected to children and grown-ups alike.
On November 30, 2022, Gubler took to Instagram to announce that he is selling Rumple Buttercup
plushies in collaboration with the organization "One Step Beyond Fine Art" to commemorate
the book's success.
As expected, the plushies sold out shortly after it was released.
The "Criminal Minds" actor took to Instagram on December 9, 2022 to express his gratitude
for those supporting this endeavor, writing:
"Congratulations to all the warm necks who got a 'Huggable Rumple' before he sold out.
And thank you from the bottom of my heart for helping support Rumple's favorite cause!"
Due to the success of his first children's book, Matthew Gray Gubler is now using his
time away from "Criminal Minds" to recreate the magic that was "Rumple Buttercup."
Just four days after his birthday on March 9, 2023, Gubler unveiled his newest project,
"The Little Kid with the Big Green Hand," and provided a pre-order link to the online
store on Instagram.
The collage ends with a note from Gubler thanking his fans for the love they've shown him with
a note that says:
"Thank you for all of the birthday weekend wishes!
The greatest gift of all is getting to make stories for you."
Not much is known about the book itself outside of its release date, but according to its
website, the book appears to follow some of the same themes as "Rumple Buttercup."
With the idea of self-discovery and acceptance being at the forefront, we could only assume
that the book will be just as big of a hit as his previous release.