Why Thomas Gibson's Aaron Hotchner Left Criminal Minds

Thomas Gibson played Aaron Hotchner on "Criminal Minds" for the show's first 11 seasons, becoming a seemingly indispensable part of the cast. Hotchner was part of some of the best episodes of "Criminal Minds" which made his departure in the 12th season somewhat of a surprise for fans. What caused the abrupt change-up? Well, this one didn't come down to that perennial excuse for actors departing projects: "creative differences." According to reports, Gibson had a volatile personality that led to multiple on-set incidents, all of which culminated in one particular altercation between him and a writer/producer that resulted in the former "Dharma & Greg" star being fired from the show.

When "Criminal Minds" debuted on CBS back in 2005, it did so with a considerable ensemble that included Mandy Patinkin as FBI Senior Supervisory Special Agent Jason Gideon, Lola Glaudini as FBI Supervisory Special Agent Elle Greenaway, and Gibson as FBI Supervisory Special Agent and Behavioral Analysis Unit Chief Aaron Hotchner. As head of the FBI's criminal profiler team, Hotchner was an invaluable resource, which was also true of Gibson himself, as evidenced by his 11-season tenure — much longer than his co-stars Patinkin, who left "Criminal Minds" after two seasons, and Glaudini, who left mid-way through season 2.

However, when the 12th season began in 2016, Gibson was out. His final appearance came in season 12, episode 2, but he appeared in a few flashbacks after that, his last one being in the season 15 finale, "And in the End..." Hotchner's absence was explained as the character resigning and entering Witness Protection. Sadly, it seems Gibson was the cause of much tumult behind the scenes which came to a head when he was reportedly involved in a "violent incident."

In August 2016, Variety reported that Thomas Gibson had been fired from "Criminal Minds" due to a "violent incident," with production company ABC Studios and CBS TV Studios issuing a statement: "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." According to Variety's report, ABC Studios conducted an internal review of the incident during which Gibson is said to have "kicked a producer," later identified as writer/producer Virgil Williams. In a separate report a month later, Variety stated that Gibson was sent home for two weeks while the investigation was carried out, but was outright dismissed at its conclusion.

As per Variety's report, this wasn't the first time Gibson was involved in an altercation. The outlet cited a source as claiming the actor was part of a similar incident on the show in 2010, during which he pushed assistant director Ian Woolf. Gibson was reportedly sent to eight hours of anger-management classes, much to the disappointment of several "Criminal Minds" staff who wanted to see him gone. According to "industry sources" Gibson was also known to be "volatile," which allegedly involved verbal abuse directed at the cast and crew.

In a separate report, the outlet cited "multiple industry sources" as claiming the actor had a contentious relationship with co-star Shemar Moore (who left "Criminal Minds" after 11 seasons). Gibson's need for flexibility in his shooting schedule and a DUI arrest in 2013 also contributed to tensions. Sources who had worked with the actor, however, denied seeing any of the behavior described by others. Still, all of this played into ABC Studios and CBS' decision to let him go.

At the time of his departure from "Criminal Minds" — which has recently been revived as "Criminal Minds: Evolution" — Thomas Gibson issued a statement in which he thanked the cast and crew and said he "love[d] 'Criminal Minds'," adding, "I had hoped to see it through to the end, but that won't be possible now."

A month and a half later, Gibson spoke to People about the incident (via Variety), offering what he claimed were more details about the altercation with writer/producer Virgil Williams. According to Gibson, Williams was unwilling to listen to his suggestion about a line in the script. "We were shooting a scene late one night when I went to Virgil and told him there was a line that I thought contradicted an earlier line," explained Gibson. "He said, 'Sorry, it's necessary, and I absolutely have to have it.'" Gibson then claimed he told fellow cast and crew about Williams' response during which the producer entered the room and started "coming towards" him. When Williams "brushed past," Gibson's foot "came up and tapped him on the leg." He continued, "If I hadn't moved, he would have run into me. We had some choice words, for which I apologized the next day, and that was it. It was over. We shot the scene, I went home – and I never got to go back."

Gibson added: "I feel like it took years to make a good reputation and a minute to damage it." The actor — who previously starred in one of Chuck Lorre's most important shows — has mostly stayed away from film and TV since "Criminal Minds," though he has appeared in stage productions as recently as 2024.