We may not have heard the last from Thomas Gibson.
On Friday, Gibson was fired from his lead role on Criminal Minds, putting an end to a job he had held since 2005.
CBS executives made this decision after Gibson kicked a producer on set a few weeks ago.
The veteran actor reportedly got into a dispute over the “creative” direction of the series with a writer named Virgil Williams, turning the argument physical after Williams got all up in his face.
Gibson was subsequently suspended for two weeks.
But that suspension turned into a firing just a couple days after news of the fight went viral.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Gibson has since hired a top Los Angeles law firm to pursue possible legal action against the show’s producers.
He has retained the services of Skip Miller, a prominent litigator with experience in entertainment industry disputes, who has confirmed that he’ll meet with Gibson this week in order to determine their next move.
A few more details, meanwhile, has emerged regarding the incident that got Gibson bounced from the drama.
Sources say Gibson was directing an episode that was written by Williams.
He disagreed with Williams when it came to an unknown “creative choice,” which led to a few words being exchanged between director and writer.
The incident, which culminated in Gibson kicking Williams in the shins, was witnessed by several Criminal Minds producers, including showrunner Erica Messer.
Following the fight, Williams (pictured below with Gibson) filed a formal complaint with human resources representatives for ABC Studios and CBS Television Studios.
Another director was brought in to complete filming on the episode in question, while Gibson was suspended for the next pair of episodes.
On Friday, upon announcing Gibson’s firing, CBS did not mince words.
There was no sugar coating nor was there any gratitude shown to Gibson for his 12 years on the show.
“Thomas Gibson has been dismissed from Criminal Minds,” CBS and the studios said Friday in a joint statement, adding:
“Creative details for how the character’s exit will be addressed in the show will be announced at a later date.”
In 2010, Gibson also shoved an assistant director.
It seems pretty clear at this point that he wasn’t the most popular person on set.
On Saturday, for example, former cast member Shemar Moore (who left Criminal Minds earlier this year after 11 seasons) released a video that implied Gibson’s firing was karma.
It has since been deleted, but Moore didn’t hold back in the footage.
“Lot of birdies chirping out there; the gossip is real. I hear it. I see it. I’m sure a lot of you do, too, so I’ll just say this: I believe in karma,” he said.
“Good things happen to good people. Honest people. Hard-working people. Humble people. People who believe in basic goodness. People who believe in themselves. People who believe in others. Good things will happen to you; it’s not always easy; but you gotta grind it out and you gotta believe in you.
“Treat people how you expect them to treat you. Celebrate yourself; celebrate your blessings — as you should. But just know that you’re not better than anybody. We all have our own gifts, so unwrap them bad boys and show ’em off.
“But then appreciate other people’s gifts. Church is over.”
As for Gibson?
This is what he said soon after his firing late last week:
“I love Criminal Minds and have put my heart and soul into it for the last 12 years. 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.”