It’s unusual for a long-running series to have the same cast throughout. Actors occasionally desire to depart to work on other projects. Because the writers and producers dictate the tale, sometimes their fate is out of their control.
There were a lot of cast changes on Criminal Minds throughout the show’s 15-season run on CBS (it is being revived). The departure of Thomas Gibson from the program, however, may have been the most significant event.
From the show’s start in 2005 until his departure in 2016, Gibson played Aaron “Hotch” Hotchner on the popular crime drama. Hotch, a former FBI profiler and prosecutor, had a crucial role in the show’s Behavioral Analysis Unit (BAU), which supported homicide investigations by deploying analysts and profilers to catch and apprehend killers before they could commit further crimes.
Hotch oversaw the team’s investigations as the BAU’s unit chief. But after a terrible incident occurred behind the scenes, Gibson was removed from the program in season 12.
Why Did Thomas Gibson Leave Criminal Minds?
Thomas Gibson was sacked from the show in the 12th season, despite the significance of Criminal Minds’ Hotch. In 2016, Gibson got into a verbal altercation with a crew member who was either a writer or a producer, depending on the source.
Gibson is accused of kicking a crew working in the leg while they were filming a sequence that he was both acting in and directing. In a later statement, Gibson minimized the assault, saying that his “foot came up and knocked him on the leg.” Gibson’s instant suspension from Criminal Minds was the result of the altercation.
Gibson’s reported involvement in an altercation on the Criminal Minds set was not new either. Gibson had to take anger management lessons after a 2010 shoving incident, and according to Variety, many on the Criminal Minds production thought the actor would be fired after this first incident.
Gibson later underwent alcohol education classes after being suspected of driving while intoxicated and being detained in 2013.
After an internal inquiry by ABC Studios, the show’s producers, Gibson was formally let go from Criminal Minds on August 12, 2016. He apologized for what happened and the “artistic differences” on the set in a message.
His character was subtly written off the show as having entered the witness protection program after his abrupt departure. Gibson continued to express his affection for the program and, in particular, the Criminal Minds fans despite the reasons for his firing.
A few good adjustments in the demographics of the BAU team were made as a result of Criminal Minds adding more female team members to replace Hotchner.
How Was Hotch’s Exit Written By The Criminal Minds Creators?
Fans were left with little closure after Gibson’s abrupt departure from Criminal Minds. A serial killer known as Mr. Scratch threatened to harm Hotch’s character and his son, so he enrolled in the Witness Protection Program. Criminals Minds creator Erica Messer commented on having to cut Gibson out of the tale in an interview a few months after the on-set confrontation.
She continued, “I felt that something big had to have happened while we claimed he was away on temporary duty without having the opportunity to see Thomas again to physically flesh out the persona. “I’ve known and adored this character for 12 seasons.
I wanted to be able to part ways with him in a way that was appropriate for the character. He has had so much tragedy since we first got to know him that he no longer would risk his own or his son’s life for the work. Although he is the hero and great, he would never permit Jack to grow up as an orphan. That is how I approached writing it.”
Thomas Gibson’s Comments Regarding His Termination From Criminal Minds
Gibson made an effort to clarify what took place during the altercation that brought an end to his time on Criminal Minds in an interview with People. Gibson remembered: “I went to Virgil and told him that I believed a sentence to be in conflict with a previous line. One late-night shoot, we were filming a scene.” He apologized and added, “I must have it; it’s necessary.”
Gibson claimed that after that, he went back to the set, where he was chatting with fellow actors until Williams walked in. “He entered the space and moved in my direction.
My foot rose to tap him on the leg as he swept past me, “Gibson clarified. “If I hadn’t moved, he would have bumped into me. We exchanged some harsh words, for which I later apologized, but that was all. It had ended. I left after we finished filming the sequence and was unable to return.”