Why did Hotch leave Criminal Minds? Reasons explored in depth

Actor Thomas Gibson played Special Agent Aaron Hotchner on Criminal Minds for 11 years. The show is one of the most famous police procedural dramas on TV and has seen many characters get introduced and depart during its 17-season run.

Hotchner was one of the most influential characters on the show, often seen as a father figure by the other Behavioral Analysis Unit team members. After Mandy Patinkin's Jason Gideon left the show, many characters filled in his shoes, but none like Hotch.

Hotch's character was written off from the show in Season 12 because of Gibson's firing, which the actor attributed to 'creative differences' with the team. While this was not the first time that news of the actor's misconduct on the set was out, it quickly escalated, leading to his departure.

Here is the lowdown on Hotch's departure from the show and why the actor was fired.

Who was Hotch on Criminal Minds?

Hotch leaves Criminal Minds (Image via Hulu)

Hotch was a prosecutor before he was reeled in as the Behavioral Analysis Unit's team leader. Many stories within the show focused on the character's struggle to balance his family life and demanding job.

In Season 1, he had a baby with his wife. While Hotch had to travel to many destinations to investigate cases as BAU's leader, this took a toll on his marriage, eventually resulting in a divorce. The latter half of his run focuses on Hotch trying to have a relationship with his son.

One of the critical cases was of the serial killer George Foyet, known as The Reaper. Hotch worked on this case for over a decade and was obsessed with him at this point. His failure to capture Foyet led Hotch to the brink of sanity and started affecting his personal and private life.

Following his erratic behavior, Hotch was also asked to step down as Unit Chief while Morgan took his place. He was also captured and tortured by Foyet in Season 5 premiere. The case ended tragically with Foyet killing Hotch's wife. Hotch eventually killed Foyet in the show's 100th episode.

Why did Hotch leave Criminal Minds?

Hotch's departure from Criminal Minds was written while the team investigated the escape of a serial killer, Peter Lewis, also known as Mr. Scratch. While the character appeared regularly on the show throughout Season 11, he was only present in the initial two episodes of Season 12.

Hotch did not appear in Season 12 Episode 3, titled Taboo, where SSA Rossi revealed that he was on a Special Assignment. While news of the actor's departure was already hitting, fans quickly recognized this as a cover story for Gibson's absence.

When it was confirmed that the actor would not return, Hotch's character was entirely written off from the show. It was shown how serial killer Peter Lewis stalked BAU, especially Hotch's son. When he became a real threat to Hotch and his family, it was revealed that he had entered Witness Protection with his son in Season 12 Episode 6, titled Elliot's Pond.

This story arc made sense for Hotch after what happened to him in Foyet's case. He not only knew the dire consequences of a serial killer following a family can have, but was also aware of the toll it took on his mental health. Since his son is the only family left, Hotch decided to enter Witness Protection.

However, after Lewis' death, it was revealed that Hotch had left Witness Protection but had decided to quit his job and focus on being a father to his son. And this was also Gibson's ending as Hotch on the show.

There was news about actor Gibson ''shoving an assistant director'' on set, for which he was also ordered to attend anger management classes. Later, he ''allegedly kicked a crew member in the leg'', which led the show's team to fire him from the show.

While the actor has denied all these severe allegations, he agreed to having some 'creative differences' with the team that did not work out well.

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