Inside Thomas Gibson’s ‘Criminal Minds’ Downfall: A Timeline

Actor’s scuffle with writer may have been the final straw after years of bad behavior

Thomas Gibson has had a summer to forget, and the now-former “Criminal Minds” star will probably spend his fall auditioning.

The “Dharma & Greg” alum was fired from his CBS procedural Friday following an on-set incident in which he kicked writer-producer Virgil Williams. Unfortunately, it wasn’t Gibson’s only moment of exhibiting a lack of self control.

Scroll through the timeline below to find out exactly how we got here.

1994-1998: Gibson wins first major starring role on a TV series in “Chicago Hope.”

1997-2002: He plays “Greg” on the hit comedy “Dharma & Greg.”

2005-August 2016: Gibson’s the main man on CBS’ “Criminal Minds,” which is an ABC Studios production. The Aaron Hotchner character is the only one to have appeared in all 255 episodes of the procedural so far.

December 2010: Gibson allegedly shoves “Criminal Minds” assistant director Ian Woolf during a late-night on-location shoot, per Variety. The leading man was forced to undergo eight hours of anger management classes as a result. TheWrap’s requests for confirmation of the old incident was not immediately returned by ABC Studios. Gibson’s reps declined comment.

January 8, 2013: Gibson is arrested in Los Angeles for allegedly driving while under the influence, though that the charge was eventually dropped in a plea deal. The arrest was quite dramatic and somewhat physical, which readers can check out via TMZ video here.

Jan. 29, 2013: Actor accepts one count of alcohol-related reckless driving. Under the terms of the prosecutor’s deal, Gibson gets 36 months probation, $300 in court fees and one year of alcohol education classes.

March 23, 2016: Co-star Shemar Moore departs “Criminal Minds.” Moore and Gibson didn’t get along, TheWrap is told, as Gibson was often annoyed by Moore’s lateness to set. The tardiness was such a constant, one year Moore bought the cast and crew watches as an inside joke.

Week of July 25, 2016: The kick that made headlines. Gibson kicked Virgil Williams in the leg during a disagreement – which everyone agrees happened –  though we don’t know to what extent if any the actor was provoked. If you ask people close to Gibson, it was self-defense or even retaliation for “aggressive” behavior from the staffer.

Gibson was not only starring in the episode that housed the physical disagreement, he was also directing. The script was written by Williams.

July 25-August 1: Williams files a formal complaint. Gibson was suspended for two weeks, amid an ongoing investigation. He was also quickly replaced as director.

“There were creative differences on the set and a disagreement,” the actor tells TheWrap in a statement. “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.”

TheWrap is told that no production days were lost due to the suspension.

July 27, 2016: The following casting announcement goes out for “Criminal Minds”:
[COMMISSARIO (DETECTIVE) GIUSEPPE CONTE]MALE, 35-50, ITALIAN. Speaks Italian and accented English. He is good at his job but is grateful to have the help of our agents in solving this decades old case….GUEST STAR.

Read into that if (and how) you’d like. Just a guest star — for now at least.

Aug. 12, 2016 (morning): Gibson’s suspension officially becomes a termination.

“Thomas Gibson has been dismissed from ‘Criminal Minds,’” CBS Television Studios and production company ABC Studios jointly tells TheWrap at the time. “Creative details for how the character’s exit will be addressed in the show will be announced at a later date.”

Still no loss of production days, apparently.

Aug. 12, 2016 (afternoon): Gibson addresses his newfound unemployment.

“I love ‘Criminal Minds’ and have put my heart and soul into it for the last twelve years,” he says in a statement given to TheWrap. “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.”

Aug. 12, 2016 (evening): Gibson’s former co-star Moore posts a cryptic Instagram video, preaching about “karma.”

“Lotta birdies chirping out there — the gossip is real. I hear it, I see it — I’m sure a lot of you do too,” Moore begins. “So 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. People who believe in themselves. People who believe in others.”

Aug. 13, 2016: Gibson hires Los Angeles attorney Skip Miller, TheWrap has confirmed. Together, the two are considering legal options, which we’re told are still in the initial planning phase.

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