Thomas Gibson’s career after “Criminal Minds” has been quieter, but it has not disappeared.
The actor, who was fired in 2016 from his role as Special Agent Aaron “Hotch” Hotchner, has kept a noticeably lower public profile in the years since leaving the CBS series. His post-“Criminal Minds” work has been selective, spanning a handful of screen projects and a return to live theater, including recent stage roles in New York and Chicago.
Gibson’s first credited move after the long-running procedural came quickly. In 2017, he voiced Joseph in “Axis,” the feature directorial debut of his former “Criminal Minds” co-star Aisha Tyler. Two years later, he appeared in the 2019 movie “Shadow Wolves,” playing an NSA agent who assists a Native American tracking unit.
He has also completed a film titled “The Writer’s Bible,” centered on a creatively blocked author. Gibson not only stars in the project but co-wrote it. As of the available information, however, the film does not have a release date.
A shift toward the stage
In addition to sporadic film work, Gibson has spent part of the past decade working in theater. He appeared in a 2024 off-Broadway production of “Ibsen’s Ghost,” then followed that with a 2025 Chicago production of “Henry Johnson.”
The David Mamet play follows a naive middle-aged man who is jailed for embezzlement. Gibson played Gene, a fellow convict, during the production’s one-month run. Reviewers repeatedly singled out his performance as one of the show’s major strengths.
That stage activity has become one of the more notable chapters of Gibson’s public career since “Criminal Minds,” especially because his film and television appearances have been relatively limited following his departure from the series.
The firing that changed his trajectory
Gibson’s exit from “Criminal Minds” came after an on-set controversy that became public in 2016. He was fired shortly after he reportedly kicked one of the show’s writers during a heated conversation.
The incident was not described as an isolated concern in the reporting that followed. Gibson had apparently already been required to attend anger management classes after a similar altercation with a “Criminal Minds” assistant director in 2010.
There were also reported tensions involving Gibson’s relationship with former co-star Shemar Moore. Moore did not officially comment on Gibson’s termination, but shortly after the firing was announced, he posted a since-deleted Instagram video in which he said, “I believe in karma.”
Gibson had been part of “Criminal Minds” from its 2005 premiere, making the 2016 firing a major rupture in his association with the show. In the aftermath, he appeared to remain deeply frustrated with how the situation unfolded.
He showed interest in pursuing legal action against CBS and “Criminal Minds,” though the proposed lawsuit faced multiple obstacles and appears to have fizzled out. In a 2016 interview with People, Gibson said, “I feel like it took years to make a good reputation and a minute to damage it.”
He also accused “Criminal Minds” of “trying to erase [him] from the show.” The team behind the series, however, maintained that there was strong reason for his departure.
One “Criminal Minds” crew member put the mood on the set bluntly in comments to Variety in 2016: “It’s like a dark cloud has been lifted off that show. You never knew which Thomas Gibson was going to show up.”
What happens next?
For now, Gibson’s next confirmed screen project remains uncertain. “The Writer’s Bible” has been completed, but no release date has been announced in the available record.
What is clear is that Gibson’s post-“Criminal Minds” career has been defined less by a single comeback vehicle than by intermittent film work and theater appearances, with his 2016 firing continuing to frame much of the public conversation around him.