Thomas Gibson was fired from CBS series “Criminal Minds” after 11 seasons on Aug. 12 after reports surfaced that he'd gotten into a physical altercation with a screenwriter.
“Thomas Gibson has been dismissed from Criminal Minds. Creative details for how the character’s exit will be addressed in the show will be announced at a later date,” producers at ABC Studios and CBS Television Studios said in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter (THR).
A source disclosed to People magazine said that nearly two weeks ago, while directing an episode for season 12, Gibson kicked the screenwriter in the leg.
A regretful Gibson, 54, chalked up the incident to creative differences.
“There were creative differences on the set and a disagreement. I regret that it occurred,” Gibson told THR on Thursday in a statement. “We all want to work together as a team to make the best show possible. We always have and we always will.”
Initially, for the on-set spat, Gibson was facing a two-episode suspension, where his character, Special Agent Aaron Hotchner, was to be written out of the show. Now his character will be written out of the series altogether.
“I love Criminal Minds and have put my heart and soul into it for the last 12 years,” Gibson said in a statement to THR on Friday. “I had hoped to see it through to the end, but that won’t be possible now. 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.”
This is the second on-set incident involving Gibson. A few years ago, he was ordered to attend anger management classes after pushing a producer.
Earlier this year, actor Shemar Moore left the CBS series of his own accord after 11 seasons to focus on his personal life.
“I need balance in my life. I love what I do for a living, I love it from ‘action’ to ‘cut’, but I also want to walk my dogs, travel, get married, have kids. I want balance, and it’s hard to do with the schedule that we have,” said Moore about the reason for his departure in an interview with TVLine.
