In 2016, actor Thomas Gibson was fired from the series “Criminal Minds” after more than eleven seasons in the skin of Agent Aaron Hotchner. A look back at what was a small earthquake in the world of the small screen.
Thomas Gibson was one of the stars of the series Criminal Minds, which ended in 2020 and about which fans recently learned some good news. But the man who played Agent Hotchner since the CBS show’s debut was fired almost unceremoniously seven years ago, joining the list of stars fired from their TV shows. A look back at this shocking moment in the history of the small screen.
It is August 2016. Filming for the twelfth season of Criminal Minds has just begun when we learn that Thomas Gibson allegedly hit Virgil Williams, writer/producer of the successful detective series. First suspended for two weeks, the actor was finally fired altogether.
How to explain his sudden absence to spectators? The writers urgently rewrote the script and sent Hotchner’s character on a special mission.
More than a month after being fired, Thomas Gibson returned to this altercation at the microphone of People magazine, remarks relayed by the Deadline site. “We were filming a scene one evening when I went to Virgil and told him that I thought one line contradicted another. He told me that this line was necessary and that he absolutely had to to see her”he declares.
Thomas Gibson then recounts the scene that led to his dismissal, specifying that it took place while he was recounting his exchange with Williams to some of his colleagues. “Virgil came towards me. He brushed past me and at that moment my foot came up and hit his leg. If I hadn’t moved he would have slammed into me.”explains the actor.
Criminal Minds: what happens to the actors who left the series partway through?
“We had some harsh words, for which I apologized the next day, and it stayed there. It was over”he continues. “We shot the scene, I went home…and I never came back.”
And Thomas Gibson concludes, bitterly: “It seems like they’re trying to erase me from the show. It hurts. My pride and reputation are hurt, but in the end I know people will remember the good work I did. I just need more opportunities to do good work and be a good person.”
No doubt paying for his past behavior and his reputation as an angry actor, Thomas Gibson has been very discreet since his dismissal from Criminal Minds. The American only appeared in the credits of a second-rate film, entitled Shadow Wolves, released in 2019.
Our meeting with Thomas Gibson at the 2016 Monte-Carlo Festival: