'Criminal Minds' season 12 release date, spoilers: fans will only see Thomas Gibson in two episodes

Thomas GibsonCBS

"Criminal Minds" season 12 will see a significant change in its cast following the sudden dismissal of actor Thomas Gibson. According to a report from Variety, the actor has been fired from the show following an altercation on set where he allegedly kicked one of the producers. He will still appear for the episodes he had already filmed.

The report continues to state that Gibson was initially suspended as the producers at ABC reviewed the case but by the following day, Aug. 13, he had been officially fired from the show, having only filmed a total of two complete episodes for season 12. Both episodes will air when the show returns this September.

It is noted that this is not the first time Gibson had gotten into an altercation as he also pushed one of the assistant directors while filming in a previous season.

When asked how the series will address his departure, the studios explained that a proper explanation will be announced at a later date. Fans have speculated if his character, Aaron Hotchner, will simply be written out to resign and spend time with his wife or if the character will be killed off. 

Gibson had since turned to Twitter to voice out his disappointment with the studios for firing him as well as to thank the fans and the rest of the cast and crew for supporting him during his time on the show.

A report from Extra sheds some new light on what may be causing some of the personal issues with Gibson. The site has discovered that Gibson secretly filed for divorce from his wife Christine back in 2014 and filed for a re-petition in December 2015 but the courts have yet to approve of it.

In a separate report from Inquisitr it is also revealed that former "Criminal Minds" star Shemar Moore had posted on Instagram, hinting that Gibson was responsible for his own faults and his dismissal from the show. The post had since been taken down.

"Criminal Minds" season 4 will premiere this Sept. 28.