‘Criminal Minds’ Adds Damon Gupton as New Series Regular
“The Player” star steps in for outgoing regulars Thomas Gibson and Shemar Moore on CBS cop drama
Reid Nakamura | September 30, 2016 @ 2:11 PM
Last Updated: September 30, 2016 @ 2:20 PM
CBS
“Criminal Minds” has added a new series regular for Season 12, CBS announced on Friday.
Damon Gupton will join the cast of the CBS cop drama beginning with the eighth episode of the season playing Special Agent Stephen Walker from the Behavioral Analysis Program, which is the counterintelligence division of the FBI. He’s described as a seasoned profiler who will bring his spy-hunting skill set to the BAU.
Gupton’s addition comes following the departure of original cast member Shemar Moore at the end of last season, and Thomas Gibson’s recent dismissal following an on-set altercation with one of the show’s writers.
The actor, who most recently starred on NBC’s short-lived “The Player,” joins Joe Mantegna, Matthew Gray Gubler, A.J. Cook, Aisha Tyler, Kirsten Vangsness, Adam Rodriguez and Paget Brewster, who was brought back to the show as a series regular last month.
Gupton’s previous television credits also include “The Divide,” “Prime Suspect” and “Deadline,” as well as recurring roles on “Bates Motel,” “Empire,” “Rake” and Amazon’s upcoming “Goliath.”
“Our BAU family is growing,” said executive producer and showrunner Erica Messer in a statement. “We’re excited to have Damon join the show and work alongside our amazing cast and crew.”
“Criminal Minds” airs Wednesdays at 9 p.m./8c on CBS.
'Criminal Minds' Star Thomas Gibson and 9 More TV Stars Fired Amid Controversy (Photos)
"Criminal Minds" star Thomas Gibson, who got the boot from the CBS show following reports that he kicked a writer on set, isn't the only small-screen star to say "sayonara" on the heels of controversy.
John Amos claimed that he was fired from ground-breaking 1970s comedy "Good Times" after clashing with producers over the direction of the show. Amos' character, family patriarch James Evans, was subsequently killed off. Nothing funny about that. Damn, damn, damn.
Mackenzie Phillips was fired not once, but twice, from the sitcom "One Day at a Time" (1975-74) as the actress struggled with substance abuse.
Janet Hubert was replaced in her role as Vivian Banks on "Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" in 1993, amid reports of serious tension with series star Will Smith.
Lisa Bonet, who played second daughter Denise Huxtable on "The Cosby Show," returned to the series in 1989 after starring in the spinoff "A Different World," but was axed due to "creative differences."
Nicollette Sheridanclaimed in a lawsuit that her "Desperate Housewives" character, Edie Britt, was killed off in 2009 after she accused series boss Marc Cherry of assaulting her. The legal saga over the firing has dragged on nearly as long as her tenure on the series.
Charlie Sheen got kicked to the curb from his "Two and a Half Men" gig in 2011 following a string of bizarre behavior, including insults aimed at series boss Chuck Lorre. As revenge, Lorre killed off a Sheen stand-in with a piano during the comedy's series finale.
Isaiah Washington was shown the door on the ABC drama "Grey's Anatomy" in 2007 after allegedly hurling a homophobic slur in castmate T.R. Knight's direction.
Another Shondaland alum, Columbus Short, said bye-bye to his gig on ABC's "Scandal" in 2014 amid claims that he committed domestic violence, though he later attributed his sacking to cocaine abuse.
TBS canned CeeLo Green's reality series "The Good Life" days after Green pleaded no contest to a felony charge of giving a woman the drug ecstasy.
After more than a decade as Aaron Hotchner on "Criminal Minds," Thomas Gibson got the boot from the CBS show in 2016 following reports that he kicked a writer on the series while directing an episode.
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Gibson is the latest television actor to get the heave-ho after misbehaving, but he’s certainly not the first
"Criminal Minds" star Thomas Gibson, who got the boot from the CBS show following reports that he kicked a writer on set, isn't the only small-screen star to say "sayonara" on the heels of controversy.
