Where Is Thomas Gibson From Criminal Minds Now?
Thomas Gibson's acting career suffered greatly following his sudden departure from "Criminal Minds" as FBI agent Aaron Hotchner. In a shocking turn of events, the actor was fired from his role after getting involved in a heated altercation with one of the show's writer-producers, Virgil Williams, in 2016. ABC and CBS TV Studios confirmed his dismissal to Variety, saying, at the time, "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." Meanwhile, in his own statement published by Deadline, Gibson admitted there was indeed a dispute over "creative differences on the set" but refused to elaborate further. "I regret that it occurred," he only said of the incident, adding, "We all want to work together as a team to make the best show possible. We always have, and we always will."
In light of his departure, Gibson — said to have a history of being verbally and physically abusive towards other crew and cast members of the show — expressed his gratitude to everyone from the writers and producers of "Criminal Minds," to his co-stars and fans. "I love 'Criminal Minds' and have put my heart and soul into it for the last twelve years," he said. "I had hoped to see it through to the end, but that won't be possible now." Since then, Gibson has acted on a few other projects but has mostly taken a step back from the limelight.
Thomas has only acted in two projects since Criminal Minds
Unfortunately, it appears as though Thomas Gibson's reputation has never fully recovered following his shocking dismissal from "Criminal Minds" in 2016. Since he got fired, the actor has only had two acting projects to his name, including a stint on the 2017 indie film "Axis" and a starring role on the 2019 action film "Shadow Wolves." More recently, he's returned to his theater roots as part of the ensemble cast of Charles Busch's Off-Broadway play "Ibsen's Ghost." Speaking with Theater Mania in March 2024, Gibson expressed his joy over returning to his first love, theater, after decades of only doing TV, saying, "I'm happy to be here, and I was certainly happy to utilize the security of rehearsal." He also explained what he loves most about theater as a medium. "It feeds you in ways that are very different than any other kind of work as an actor or even as a director. I mean, I understand what I was doing and why I did what I did. But it makes me kick myself a little bit for not doing more theater," he said.
In 2018, it was confirmed that Gibson is officially divorced from his ex-wife, Christine Gibson, four years after they quietly separated in 2014. The pair married in 1993 and are parents to three children — including sons James, 24, Travis, 21, and daughter Agatha, 19.
Thomas opened up about his Criminal Minds exit
Thomas Gibson broke his silence on his controversial exit from "Criminal Minds" in a 2016 interview with People. While reflecting on the incident, the actor said, "I feel like it took years to make a good reputation and a minute to damage it." He also claimed it wasn't him who initiated the altercation but rather Virgil Williams. "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," he explained. "[Virgil] said, 'Sorry, it's necessary, and I absolutely have to have it." While ranting to his castmates in the other room, Gibson claims Williams burst in and charged at him. "As he brushed past me, my foot came up and tapped him on the leg," Gibson recalled, claiming he acted in self-defense and did not intend to pick a fight with Williams. He also claimed that he apologized to Williams the following day but was dismissed. "We shot the scene, I went home – and I never got to go back," he said.
While most of the cast remained silent on the incident, Shemar Moore (Derek Morgan) appeared to side with the producer when he posted a since-deleted video to Instagram about karma shortly after Gibson's firing. "Lot of birdies chirping out there. The gossip is real," Moore said, per Vulture. "I'll just say this: I believe in karma... Treat people how you expect them to treat you," he then added.