\n Thomas Gibson<\/span> Alberto Terenghi\/Shutterstock<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
Criminal Minds<\/em> fans have been waiting for Aaron Hotchner to appear in the Evolution<\/em> spinoff series<\/a> \u2014 and Thomas Gibson<\/strong> seemingly just gave them more hope of a return.<\/p>\n Gibson, 61, recently took to social media to share an Instagram photo of him<\/a> on strike with SAG-AFTRA and WGA members. \u201cWalking the line with scribe extraordinaire Andrew Wilder<\/strong> #sagaftrastrong #wgastrong #unionstrong \ud83e\udea7\ud83d\udc4a\u270a,\u201d he captioned the photo of him and Wilder, 42, who was previously a producer and writer on Criminal Minds<\/em>.<\/p>\n Fans quickly took to the comments section to voice their theories about Gibson returning<\/a> in Criminal Minds: Evolution<\/em>. \u201cAndrew was an excellent writer on CM. Thomas, he treated Hotch well on the show. I miss both of you. The 2 of you need to do something together again,\u201d a follower wrote.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, another social media user used Twitter to share a petition<\/a> requesting Gibson make an appearance in the spinoff series. The page, which was created in June 2021, has already received 832 signatures and is aiming to reach a goal of 1,000.<\/p>\n Gibson became a fan favorite during his decade-long run as Aaron Hotchner in the original Criminal Minds<\/em> show<\/a>. He was initially let go for two weeks from the CBS series in 2016 after he reportedly kicked show writer Virgil Williams<\/strong> in the leg while they were arguing about an episode that Gibson was directing.<\/p>\n \u201cThere were creative differences on the set and a disagreement,\u201d Gibson said in a statement at the time. \u201cI regret that it occurred. We all want to work together as a team to make the best show possible. We always have and always will.\u201d<\/p>\n That same month, Gibson addressed the news of his firing<\/a>, telling Us Weekly<\/em>, \u201cI 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\u2019t 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.\u201d<\/p>\n Gibson later broke down the interaction between him and Williams.<\/p>\n \u201cWe were shooting a scene late one night when I went to Virgil and told him there was a line that I thought contradicted an earlier line. He said, \u2018Sorry, it\u2019s necessary, and I absolutely have to have it,’\u201d the actor told People<\/em> in 2016. \u201cHe came into that room and started coming towards me. As he brushed past me, my foot came up and tapped him on the leg. If I hadn\u2019t moved, he would have run into me. We had some choice words, for which I apologized the next day, and that was it. It was over. We shot the scene, I went home \u2014 and I never got to go back.\u201d<\/p>\n Gibson\u2019s last episode on the police procedural where he played the unit chief<\/a> aired later that year. He has since done voiceover work for the 2017 film Axis<\/em> before scoring a lead role in the short-lived series Shadow Wolves<\/em>.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, Criminal Minds<\/em> continued to air new episodes until 2020 when it was revived by Paramount+<\/a> two years later. Criminal Minds: Evolution currently stars series OGs Joe Mantegna<\/strong>, A. J. Cook<\/strong>, Kirsten Vangsness<\/strong>, Aisha Tyler<\/strong><\/a>, Adam Rodriguez<\/strong><\/a> and Paget Brewster<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n![\"Why](\"https:\/\/www.usmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/Why-Fans-Are-Campaigning-for-Thomas-Gibson-to-Appear-in-Criminal-Minds-Evolution3.jpg?w=700&quality=86&strip=all\")
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\n Thomas Gibson, Criminal Minds.<\/span> Moviestore\/Shutterstock<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n![\"Why](\"https:\/\/www.usmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/Why-Fans-Are-Campaigning-for-Thomas-Gibson-to-Appear-in-Criminal-Minds-Evolution2.jpg?w=700&quality=86&strip=all\")
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