‘Criminal Minds Season 12:’ Is Thomas Gibson’s Replacement Going To Lead BAU?

By Eileen De Santos - 03 Oct '16 06:58AM

After the reported firing of actor Thomas Gibson from the hit series "Criminal Minds," the creator of the show tapped actor Damon Gupton as his replacement. It remains to be seen if he is going to lead the BAU team in the upcoming "Criminal Minds" Season 12.

Fans are wondering why the creators of the show didn't promote someone from the team. There had been rumors before that Supervisory Special Agent Emily Prentiss (Paget Brewster) could replace Aaron "Hotch" Hotchner, but it was not verified by the producers of "Criminal Minds" Season 12.

Gupton is set to play the role of Special Agent Stephen Walker, an expert profiler, for Criminal Minds Season 12. Gupton's character is set to appear on the eight episode of season 12.

If Special Agent Stephen Walker is really replacing Hotchner, it will definitely shake things up this season. Fans eagerly awaiting "Criminal Minds" Season 12 are now expecting a new storyline. In a statement, showrunner Erica Messer said, "Our BAU family is growing. We're excited to have Damon join the show and work alongside our amazing cast and crew."

Yahoo News reported that Damon Gupton is quite familiar to the role that he's going to play in Criminal Minds Season 12. He has played role of a detective in the past on "Law & Order: Criminal Intent," "Prime Suspect," "Empire" and "Bates Motel"

As for Gibson's character, the altercation between Virgil Williams, writer-producer, happened last July 26, in the middle of shooting the second episode for "Criminal Minds" Season 12, according to the International Business Times.

According to Inquisitr, Gibson was able to finish two episodes for "Criminal Minds" Season 12 and if that's the case, SSA Aaron Hotchner is going to make his last appearance on the show on October 5, 2016. Many are assuming that the second episode for this season is going to be where Gibson's character is going to "exit."