Thomas Gibson Fired From Criminal Minds

Following an altercation with a producer on the CBS hit procedural, the leading man was fired by CBS: "I had hoped to see it through to the end," Gibson said in a statement

By Tierney Bricker Aug 12, 2016 6:03 PMTags

The Criminal Minds team will be down a BAU team member when it returns on Sept. 28.

Original cast member Thomas Gibson has been fired from the CBS hit procedural following an on-set altercation with a producer, E! News has confirmed. 

"Thomas Gibson has been dismissed from Criminal Minds," ABC Studios and CBS Studios said in a statement.  "Creative details for how the character's exit will be addressed in the show will be announced at a later date."

Gibson, 54, has played  fan-favorite Aaron Hotchner since the show debuted in 2005, and was suspended in July after kicking a writer over "creative  differences" while working on an episode he was directing. He had not been on set for the last two weeks. 

"I love Criminal Minds and have put my heart and soul into it for the last twelve years. I had hoped to see it through to the end, but that won't be possible now," Gibson said in a statement following his departure. "I would just like to say thank you to the writers, producers, actors, our amazing crew, and, most importantly, the best fans that a show could ever hope to have."

read
Criminal Minds' Thomas Gibson Suspended for Kicking a Writer

"There were creative differences on the set and a disagreement," Gibson told E! News in a statement after the incident. "I regret that it occurred. We all want to work together as a team to make the best show possible. We always have and we always will."

Of the situation, a source told us, "Thomas is the most kindhearted family man. He's a great father, takes care of his mom and spends as much time with his kids as possible. He flies home every weekend to San Antonio to be with his kids after working 12-15 hour days during the week. I hate that this minor disagreement is what people are hearing about him." 

Gibson's departure comes after the exit of Shemar Moore, another original cast member, at the end of last season, who said he wanted to focus on having a family after playing Derek Morgan for 11 seasons. Magic Mike star Adam Rodriguez is set to make his debut as a series regular as a new special agent, while Aisha Tyler has been promoted to a series regular for the upcoming season after recurring as Dr. Tara Lewis throughout season 11. Plus, fan-favorite Paget Brewster is set to reprise the role of Prentiss for an episode. 

Criminal Minds returns for its 12th season on Sept. 28.

photos
TV's Most Shocking Exits: Stars Who Left Hit Shows