Thomas Gibson, who brought the character of Supervisory Special Agent Aaron Hotchner to life was fired in 2016 following an altercation with a writer-producer on Criminal Minds.
For 11 seasons of Criminal Minds, Supervisory Special Agent Aaron “Hotch” Hotchner was regarded as the anchor of the show.
This is as actors would come and go, however, the presence of Hotchner as a long-standing character served as an anchor, especially for the viewers.
Therefore, when Hotchner made an abrupt disappearance from the show in season 11, only to come back in season 12 for two exit episodes, people inquired about the reason.
It would later be revealed and confirmed that Gibson’s dismissal was due to an altercation he had behind the scenes.
Who was Aaron “Hotch” Hotchner?
Supervisory Special Agent Aaron Hotchner, played by Thomas Gibson, was introduced during the first episode of Criminal Minds. He was the Behavioural Analysis Unit’s team lead, and considered the father figure of the team he was leading.
Moreover, considering that most of the storylines for the other lead characters focussed on their jobs, Hotch’s storyline heavily focussed on his personal life.
This is as he would have a child in the first season with his wife, only to later get divorce and work on establishing a relationship with the son in later seasons.
Why was Hotch fired from Criminal Minds?
After Thomas Gibson’s dismissal from Criminal Minds was confirmed, it was made public that the actor had been placed on a two-week suspension prior to the fact.
The suspension and dismissal stemmed from an altercation between himself and writer-producer, Virgil Williams. It was alleged that Gibson had kicked Williams, which resulted in his dismissal.
Upon further investigation, it was discovered that the two allegedly had a verbal altercation that turned physical.
Moreover, this was not Gibson’s first offence on the set of Criminal Minds, which might have been the reason that the show decided to part ways with the actor.
Following the circulation of his alleged violent outburst, Gibson attempted to counter the narrative by sharing his own version of events of what happened on the day.
Moreover, the actor had asserted that he would have liked to have seen his journey on the show to the end, but that never happened as he did not return for the series finale.
Thomas Gibson on Criminal Minds dismissal
Following his surprise exit from Criminal Minds, Thomas Gibson countered the narrative that his dismissal was due to his violent altercation with a writer-producer on the show.
He explained that from his point of view, after having words with the writer-producer in relation to the script, that “He came into that room and started coming towards me.
As he brushed past me, my foot came up and tapped him on the leg.” It was the foot tap that was the alleged cause of his dismissal.
How did Hotch leave Criminal Minds?
In the world of the story, Hotch had not been part of the eleventh season after an abrupt disappearance explained as him being on a special mission. He returned with the twelfth season to conclude his storyline.
Following his return from the special mission, Hotch needed to go into the witness protection program following his son being linked to multiple stalking incidents.
Hotch opted to resign from the Behavioural Analysis Unit in order to focus on being a full-time father. This decision met the end of Hotch’s appearance on the show in 2016.
Thomas Gibson’s parting words for Criminal Minds fans
Following his dismissal, Thomas Gibson penned a post to the production and fans of the show that stated:
“I love Criminal Minds and have put my heart and soul into it for the last twelve years. 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.”
Moreover, while Gibson was open to possibly coming back, it seems that the production was not, as he did not make a cameo during the series finale in 2020.
Conclusion
Criminal Minds had a 16-year run, giving fans a total of 15 seasons in that time. Throughout its tenure, the crime drama saw numerous beloved main characters come and go.
However, for the first 11 seasons of the show, Thomas Gibson’s character, Aaron “Hotch” Hotchner was beloved as the anchor.
After being with the show from its inception, Gibson was fired in 2016 from Criminal Minds. It was alleged that he had turned violent during an altercation with one of the writer-producers of the show.
Gibson has since countered this narrative, suggesting that he merely tapped the writer-producer in question.