UPDATE, AUGUST 12TH: CBS Television Studios and ABC Studios have now fired Gibson from Criminal Minds following the incident. There is not yet a plan in place for how the exit of his character will be addressed in season twelve.
PREVIOUS, AUGUST 11TH: There has been some on-set drama on Criminal Minds. Thomas Gibson has been suspended from the long-running CBS procedural after an “on-set alteration” with one of the producers.
Gibson is one of only four members of the cast that have been on Criminal Minds since the pilot. He plays FBI Senior Supervisory Special Agent Aaron Hotchner, who serves as the Chief of the Behavioral Analysis Unit.
Details here are a little sketchy, but Deadline reports that the incident in question saw Gibson kick an as-yet unnamed producer as a creative discussion about a scene got out of hand. “There were creative differences on the set and a disagreement. I regret that it occurred”, Gibson said 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.”
Upon learning of the altercation, CBS human resources moved quickly to suspend Gibson and will determine what long-term consequences he will face following an investigation. In the interim, he is expected to miss at least two episodes from season twelve – namely the third and fourth episodes. The series will not be going on hiatus, with production expected to proceed apace.
The suspension of Thomas Gibson comes less than 24 hours after CBS announced that Aisha Tyler, who plays Special Agent Tara Lewis, has been promoted to series regular status for the show’s twelfth season. Adam Rodriguez has also boarded the new season as a new addition to the unit, while Paget Brewster is also set for a brief return as SSA Emily Prentiss. TVWise has reached out to CBS for comment on the situation and will update if/when we hear back.
