Has Thomas Gibson returned to "Criminal Minds" season 12 after being fired last month?

This could be the question among some fans as they got curious why the 54-year-old actor was still around when the crime drama's new season premiered on Wednesday.

The South Carolina-born actor, who portrayed the role of FBI agent Aaron Hotchner since 2005 until the 11^th season, was fired following his altercation with one of the show's producers despite apologizing for what happened through an official statement.

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According to Zap2It, Thomas Gibson is still expected to appear in some of the upcoming episodes of "Criminal Minds" season 12. 

This can be explained by the fact that the on-set tiff happened when they were filming the 12^th season. Therefore, he would still continue to act as the head of the Behavioral Analysis Unit (BAU) before his character finally bid farewell in an episode where no one knows yet.

The report noted that this was not the first incident wherein the actor was said to be in trouble with someone on the set.

Six years ago, Zap2It revealed that he also had a bad moment with an assistant director who he allegedly pushed while they were shooting a scene. Later on, though, he denied it and said that it was the AD who was "moving slowly."

Meanwhile, TV Guide disclosed several exciting scenes that fans must look forward to in "Criminal Minds" season 12. 

Writers of the show now have a scenario for Hotchner's slow exit.

"He's going to be struggling a little bit with things that are going on at home," Erica Messer dished. "Ed Asner's [character is] not doing too great and Jack's definitely affected by that. Losing one more person in his life is a big deal, so he'll definitely have to focus on that."

Also, a new character will be introduced while someone will return and stay for good.

It was disclosed that Adam Rodriguez will play BAU's new recruit Luke Alvez, while Paget Brewster will be back to reprise the role of Emily Prentiss in "Criminal Minds" season 12. 

TagsCriminal Minds Season 12, Criminal Minds, Thomas Gibson, Aaron Hotchner