The Shady Side Of Thomas Gibson From Criminal Minds
Thomas Gibson is reportedly lawyering up following his firing from the CBS police procedural crime drama Criminal Minds, which stemmed from an incident in which he allegedly kicked a show staffer. However, a look at Gibson's history suggests he may have underlying issues that could be to blame for his behavior. Here are a few other bits of Gibson's background that may shed some light on why he was let go from Criminal Minds.
His management troubles
In August 2014, Gibson's former manager, Craig Dorfman, sued the actor for unpaid commissions. Deadline reports that Gibson requested Dorfman and Frontline Entertainment Agency lower their commission from 10 percent to 7.5 percent. When they refused, he dropped and stopped paying them, and the lawsuit claims he owes $480,000 in back commissions. The lawsuit's language is pretty damning: "Dorfman's management company Frontline has literally been on the frontlines, rescusing Gibson's career from professional crises of Gibson's own making...Consequently, Dorfman was needed to cajole network executives, assuage angry producers, and manage Gibson's talent agents and publicists."
His hot temper
Gibson was fired from Criminal Minds not just because of his on-set fight with co-executive producer and writer Virgil Williams, but also because of several other supposed incidents involving Gibson's rumored fiery temper. Dorfman's lawsuit alleged, "On Criminal Minds, Gibson believed the producers, directors, writers, and cast members were incompetent and inferior to him...Not surprisingly, given Gibson's condescending attitude towards his colleagues, Gibson often verbally sparred with his co-workers, with one incident almost resulting in fisticuffs on the set."
It's unclear which particular incident Dorfman refers to, but there is at least one documented case of Gibson getting aggressive on the set: Variety reports that in 2010, right around the time producers were renegotiating stars' contracts for the show, Gibson got into a heated argument with assistant director Ian Woolf during filming and allegedly shoved Woolf with both hands. Gibson was subsequently sent to anger management courses while Woolf eventually left to work on the spin-off show Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders.
His drunk driving incident
In January 2013, TMZ reports that Gibson was arrested for driving under the influence—but it wasn't an easy job for the cops on the scene. He was pulled over when he tried driving through a part of Los Angeles that had been blocked off for a marathon. When he was told he couldn't drive through, he did anyway. When police pulled him over, they reportedly smelled booze, and Gibson refused a Breathalyzer test. TMZ nabbed a video of the scene, and it took five police officers to subdue him while he repeatedly announced, "I am not resisting." He eventually pleaded no contest to alcohol-related reckless driving, and under a plea deal prosecutors dropped the DUI charges. Gibson was sentenced to 36 months of probation, one year of alcohol education classes, and a $300 fine.
His catfishing incident
Gibson has been married for more than 20 years and has two children with his wife, Christine. Keep that in mind for the following: TMZ reported back in August 2013 that a hot young stranger on Twitter flirted with Gibson, and that the pair exchanged photos and videos for two years...until he learned that her photos and videos were all fakes taken from porn sites, at which point he had his attorneys fire off a letter telling her to get lost. She got lost, but she made sure to sell a video Gibson had sent her of himself in a hot tub to TMZ first.
He doesn't get along with co-star Shemar Moore
In a since-deleted Instagram video (that's since been captured by quick-thumbed fans), Criminal Minds actor Shemar Moore addresses Gibson's drama with a very thin veil. Moore's words certainly hit close to home for Gibson: "Lot of birdies chirping out there; the gossip is real. I'll just say this: I believe in karma. Good things happen to good people. Honest people. Hard-working people. Humble people. People who believe in basic goodness...Treat people how you expect them to treat you. Celebrate yourself and celebrate your blessings—as you should—but just know that you're not better than anybody. We all have our own gifts, so unwrap them bad boys and show 'em off. But then appreciate other people's gifts. Church is over."
Sources told Variety that Moore's beef with Gibson stems from Moore's tendency to be late to the set, which didn't jive well with Gibson's strict shooting schedule, as Gibson scheduled his shoots tightly and strictly to accommodate time to travel home to see his family in San Antonio, Texas. Additionally, in Dorfman's lawsuit against Gibson, he describes (via Deadline) that Gibson and Moore had gotten into numerous tiffs.
His other co-stars may not be fans, either
When the news of Gibson's firing hit, co-star Kirsten Vangsness posted a photo with her female co-stars and wrote, "So much woman power & potency & kindness at CM, plus our lady exec producer! Sisters really are doing it for themselves." While it seems innocuous in and of itself, the timing is a little suspect.
Insiders told Variety that Gibson's absence comes as a relief for some of the people who worked with him and that he was subject to extreme mood swings: sweet and personable one day, hot-tempered and irritable the next. "It's like a dark cloud has been lifted off that show," one Criminal Minds staffer said. "You never knew which Thomas Gibson was going to show up." Deadline also noted that Gibson was rumored to butt hands with former Criminal Minds star Mandy Patinkin as well.
Still, others insist they've never seen the dark side of the actor. "Thomas is the most kindhearted family man. He's a great father, takes care of his mom and spends as much time with his kids as possible," a source told People. "He's a great guy, and I hate that this minor disagreement is what people are hearing about him."