Actor Thomas Gibson has been fired from the popular television show Criminal Minds following a physical altercation.
The producers of the CBS series said Friday that Gibson will not return to the show when it airs its 12th season starting in September, Entertainment Weekly reports. “Thomas Gibson has been dismissed from Criminal Minds,” ABC Studios and CBS TV Studios, which produce the show, said in a statement. “Creative details for how the character’s exit will be addressed in the show will be announced at a later date.”
Earlier this week, Gibson was suspended after kicking a writer during a dispute on the set. Gibson had played Aaron Hotchner on the show since it premiered in 2005.
“I love Criminal Minds and have put my heart and soul into it for the last 12 years,” Gibson said in a statement reported by USA Today. “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.”
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Write to Tessa Berenson at tessa.Rogers@time.com