Goodbye, Gibson. Thomas Gibson barely appeared in his final episode of Criminal Minds, which aired on Wednesday, October 5, nearly two months after he was fired from the series.
Oddly enough, Gibson’s last words were about taking a break from work. “I want you to take some time off, at least a week,” his character, FBI special agent Aaron Hotchner, tells Jennifer “J.J.” Jareau (A.J. Cook). “It’s not a request.”
As previously reported, the Dharma & Greg alum, 54, was let go from the CBS series in August following a heated altercation with show writer Virgil Williams. He reportedly kicked Williams in the leg on set while the two men were arguing about an episode that Gibson was directing.
“There were creative differences on the set and a disagreement,” Gibson said in a statement on August 11. “I regret that it occurred. We all want to work together as a team to make the best show possible. We always have and always will.”
The outpouring of love and support is amazing and much appreciated by my family & me. Thanks to all!#bestfansintheworld #ThankfulThursday
— Thomas Gibson (@ImThomasGibson) October 6, 2016
After his firing, he released a statement about the matter to Us Weekly. “I love Criminal Minds and have put my heart and soul into it for the last 12 years. I had hoped to see it through to the end, but that won’t be possible now,” he said on August 12. “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.”
Still, Gibson appears to be fighting back. On August 14, Us confirmed that the actor hired litigator Skip Miller to evaluate if he should sue the show’s producers over their decision.
Gibson starred on Criminal Minds for 12 seasons, and has appeared on the crime drama since its debut in 2005. On Thursday, he gave a shout-out to his fans via Twitter. “The outpouring of love and support is amazing and much appreciated by my family & me. Thanks to all!” he wrote. “#bestfansintheworld #ThankfulThursday.”
