'Criminal Minds' Season 12 News, Updates: Thomas Gibson Opens Up for the First Time About the Kicking Incident That Got Him Fired; Jane Lynch Returns to the Series After 8 Years
Thomas Gibson says it was just a foot tap and that the incident was blown out of proportion.
After eight years from her last appearance, the well loved Jane Lynch has been confirmed to return to the hit CBS crime drama series "Criminal Minds" Season 12. She will be returning to once again play the role of Reid's mother Diana.
Lynch's two-episode story arc
EP Erica Messer confirmed Lynch's appearance in two episodes that will air in "Criminal Minds" Season 12 early next year on a Reid (Matthew Gray Gubler) story arc. According to Messer, Reid's story will be a fun one which Lynch is really is excited to come back to and reprise her role for.
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Lynch will have her first appearance in episode 11 of "Criminal Minds" Season 12. Messer said that the cast and crew of the show are all excited to have Lynch back. She has been a busy lady and the producer is just glad that the show is still around to be able to give the actress an opportunity to return.
Thomas Gibson on kicking incident
Meanwhile, former "Criminal Minds" lead star Thomas Gibson has finally decided to break his silence on his unexpected firing from the series in August. This followed an on-set altercation he figured in with writer/producer Virgil Williams. Before his dismissal, Gibson played Special Agent Aaron Hotchner since the series premiered in 2005.
Gibson claims that their confrontation on the set of "Criminal Minds" Season 12 was just a minor one that was blown way out of proportion. It started when Gibson went to Virgil about what he thought were contradicting lines in the episode they were filming.
Foot tapped the leg
When the writer/producer of "Criminal Minds" Season 12 insisted that the lines were necessary, Gibson admitted to being frustrated that he decided to vent out his frustration on some co-actors. It was then that Williams, according to Gibson, entered the room.
Williams was said to have come towards the actor and as he went past him, Gibson claims that his foot came up and then tapped Williams on the leg. Gibson added that if he hadn't moved, Williams would have run directly into him. Although they did exchange some words, Gibson said that he apologized in the next day's "Criminal Minds" Season 12 filming.
Fired and replaced
Gibson says that was the extent of the incident and they went on to shoot the scene. At the end of the day's filming of episode 2 of "Criminal Minds" Season 12, he went home but he never got to go back on the set ever again. After being meted out with a two-week suspension, Gibson was later informed by the show's production that he was being dismissed from the series.
Beginning on the third episode of "Criminal Minds" Season 12, come-backing character Emily Prentiss played by actress Paget Brewster has been reported to be replacing Gibson's Hotch as the new chief of the Behavioral Analysis Unit (BAU). The season premieres on September 28, Wednesday, on CBS.
