Criminal Minds fans were thrown for a loop back in August and, no, it wasn’t because Brad Dourif turned a bunch of corpses into marionettes. (That happened, oh, years ago now.) No, the CBS procedural lost one of its main stars, Thomas Gibson, after the actor was fired following an on-set physical altercation, in which he kicked writer Virgil Williams. While Gibson ruefully addressed his dismissal last month, Williams hadn’t opened up about the incident until now, when he was asked about the challenges of writing a beloved character out of a show. “It hasn’t been smooth,” Williams told People, in reference to Gibson’s departure. “It was very abrupt. But we tried to do it seamlessly and move on. We’re going to keep moving forward and we’re going to keep telling great stories.”
As had been previously rumored, Williams says the Criminal Minds star created a “hostile work environment.” Despite the nature of Gibson’s dismissal, Williams will miss Special Agent Aaron Hotchner. “[The fans] got to watch him, but I got to write him,” he explained. As for the actor, Williams said, “I pray for him. I hope that he’s getting time with his family. I hope the best for the guy.”
