FBI Agent Aaron Hotchner actor Thomas Gibson was abruptly fired from Criminal Minds after 12 seasons in the show's main cast - here's why.
After 12 seasons as one of the only remaining original cast members, actor Thomas Gibson was fired from Criminal Minds, with FBI Special Agent Aaron Hotchner being written out of the series. When Criminal Minds’ 15-season series ended in 2020, only three original cast members remained on the show. Criminal Minds’ FBI cast revolved fairly often, with most actors choosing to leave the long-lasting show behind to pursue outside interests. This wasn’t the case for Aaron Hotchner actor Thomas Gibson, who was fired from Criminal Minds in 2016 after an on-set ordeal.
Aaron “Hotch” Hotchner began Criminal Minds’ show in 2005 as a humorless, hardworking, yet ultimately caring FBI BAU Supervisory Special Agent. The talented agent was notable for his struggles in balancing work with his family, culminating in the tragic death of a loved one by one of Criminal Minds' serial killers with a vendetta against him. After leading the team for over a decade, Hotch is phased out of the series entirely at the beginning of season 12. While Thomas Gibson’s last Criminal Minds episode was season 12 episode 2, Aaron Hotchner wasn’t officially written out until episode 6 of the same season. The character resigns to go into the Witness Protection Program after a serial killer stalks his son, and eventually chooses to be a full-time father to Jack rather than return to the BAU.
In early August 2016, Thomas Gibson was suspended from Criminal Minds due to an on-set physical altercation with one of the show’s writer-producers. After his suspension, Gibson made a public statement of regret for the incident, explaining the quarrel was based on creative differences surrounding a Criminal Minds episode he was directing. When Criminal Minds’ original show made an official statement about the suspension, it was noted that Gibson had previously gotten into a dispute with one of Criminal Minds’ assistant directors, after which he attended mandatory anger management counseling (via Deadline). Gibson’s directorial pursuits on the show were immediately nixed, after having already helmed six episodes, with CBS announcing the termination of his acting contract on August 12, 2016.
Since continuing his role as Aaron Hotchner was still up for debate in the two weeks of his suspension, it makes sense that it took four episodes after Gibson’s last appearance to officially write out the character. Variety reported that the decision to fire movie and TV actor Thomas Gibson from Criminal Minds was weighed with past instances of his volatile behavior on set in mind, as many sources described his tendencies as both friendly and anger-prone. Following Criminal Minds’ firing of Thomas Gibson, it seems the actor has either taken a break from the screen or has struggled to find roles. Since Criminal Minds season 12, Gibson has only appeared in two projects: The 2019 TV film Shadow Wolves and a voice role in Criminals Minds actress Aisha Tyler’s 2017 movie Axis, which was recorded before his contract termination.
While Gibson’s firing may have been necessary for protecting the show’s on-set culture and the studio’s liability of repeated instances, Aaron Hotchner leaving Criminal Minds did present creative issues for Criminal Minds. Hotchner’s exit coincided with another original Criminal Minds cast member leaving the series, as Derek Morgan actor Shemar Moore departed at the end of Criminal Minds season 11. Losing two of the last five remaining original Criminal Minds characters in such a short time risked a ratings drop for the popular series, though the series wouldn’t see a substantial decline in viewership until season 13. While Aaron Hotchner appeared once more through archived footage in a flashback for Criminal Minds’ series finale, it seems unlikely that Hotch or Thomas Gibson will return in Paramount+’s upcoming revival of the series.
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