"[3] Discussing the conflict between Hotchner's career and home life, Gibson explained: He knows his family is getting the short shift. In "Omnivore," Hotch travels to South Boston to visit an old colleague, Tom Shaunessy, who is dying from an unspecified disease. Later, after running the triathlon, Hotchner finally introduces Beth to Jack. Upon arriving at the house, Hotchner finds Haley's body in the bedroom and notices Foyet hiding behind the curtains. On August 11, 2016, he got into a physical altercation with a writer/producer (allegedly co-executive producer Virgil Williams) which resulted in Gibson’s immediate suspension from the show. Integral to the first Criminal Minds line-up was Thomas Gibson's Aaron Hotchner, the severe, authoritative BAU unit chief constantly pulled between his job and his family. Hotchner decides to enter the Witness Protection Program with his son to keep him safe. Strauss then decides that this reasoning was good enough. His job is very important. However, Hotchner is unable to save Haley; Foyet murders her while she was still talking to him on the phone. In "Blood Relations", Hotch and his team are asked by the Wheeling Police Department to investigate the murders of two men. He is a Supervisory Special Agent and the unit chief of the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit, and has appeared from the series' pilot episode "Extreme Aggressor", which was originally broadcast on September 22, 2005. It's not impossible, but given Gibson's dismissal from the original series, it is unlikely. However, Ritchie is unconvinced, and leaves Hotch alone in the interrogation room. He smiled, undoing his tie. Aaron "Hotch" Hotchner is a fictional character from the CBS crime drama Criminal Minds, portrayed by Thomas Gibson. Following the birth of his son Jack, Hotchner's work with the BAU begins disrupting his family life, and vice versa. Criminal Minds (US TV) (2911) Destiny (Video Games) (77) NCIS (48) Supernatural (40) James Bond (Craig movies) (24) Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling (14) The Sentinel (TV) (11) Numb3rs (TV) (10) Stargate SG-1 (9) CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (9) Include Characters Spencer Reid (2651) Aaron Hotchner (2631) Derek Morgan (998) David Rossi (916) In "Taboo", Hotch was said to be on a special assignment by Rossi. When Jessica, who is making pancakes for dinner, asks Jack who is going to win, he replies: "Daddy. Later, the BAU is tasked with finding a sniper who has shot six people (one of them fatally) in three events occurring in a three-week span. Foyet falls forward, apparently dead, but Hotch realizes he is wearing a bulletproof vest. The rest of the team worries that Hotchner is suffering from posttraumatic stress disorder related to the attack.E502 In season 9, Hotchner is hospitalized due to complications from the old stab wounds after collapsing in the team's conference room. In "Mr. Scratch", Hotch and the rest of the team connected three seemingly unrelated murders in different parts of the U.S., after two of the perpetrators claimed a "clawed shadow monster" attacked them when each crime occurred. Regaining consciousness, Hotch finds himself being held captive by Peter in Regan's house; Peter mocks Regan and inadvertently reveals that he had been forced by her to testify against his father. Afterward, Hotch explains his actions and apologizes to Reid, to which the younger agent responds that he understands. I save lives. Though Kassmeyer refused to talk, Foyet spotted his cell phone, which contained Haley's number. As the anarchists kill several police officers and pin JJ and Reid down with gunfire, Hotch and his team confront the gunmen from behind. Foyet, dressed in full regalia, points his revolver at Hotch stating, "You should have made the deal"[1]. Reaching her, Foyet was able to convince Haley that he was another U.S. Criminal Minds; Season 4: DVD cover art. Hotch is officially gone from the BAU. Garcia manages to get into Kassmeyer's cellphone, and Foyet answers Hotch's call to it; he reveals that he is watching Haley and Jack, then hangs up. Upon returning home, Hotch discovers Haley has left him and taken Jack with her. Hotchner begins the series married to his high school sweetheart Haley (Meredith Monroe). The Criminal Minds revival has been officially confirmed, but long-time fans still have questions about which characters and cast members will be returning.With the line-up still wide open, some are even wondering if actor Thomas Gibson might return as FBI analyst Aaron "Hotch" Hotchner. Kassmeyer apologized to Hotch for failing him before dying of his wounds. In response, the Reaper boards a city bus and murders everyone on-board. Rossi offers the hypothetical question as to whether Morgan will be willing to step down if asked. Immediately after Shaunessy's death, the Reaper reappears, murdering a young couple. When Strauss asks him why he killed Foyet, Hotch replies, "I know that he would have tried to kill my son, too." While in the ambulance, Rossi learns that Hotch was suffering from internal bleeding from the stab wounds he sustained at the hands of Foyet, and must have surgery. It's pretty dark. Moments later, the real BAU arrive; Peter hands Hotch his own gun and tries to convince him to shoot Rossi and Reid, claiming they were him out to get Hotch. Though he was innocent of any wrongdoing, he was wrongfully convicted through the machinations of a psychologist, Doctor Susannah Regan, and later stabbed to death in prison. He officially resigned from both positions in Season Twelve after being put into witness protection due to his son, Jack Hotchner being actively stalked by Peter Lewis, aka, Mr. Scratch. Hotch stated that his reason for joining the BAU was because he felt that, as a prosecutor, it was too late for him to do anything, but by joining the BAU, he has a chance to stop killers sooner. Haley is killed in season five by a serial killer Hotchner and the team are pursuing. This hints that Hotch might have been abused as a child, but the subject was never further elaborated on. Looking into Peter's background, they find that his father, the owner of the group home, was suspected of sexual abuse during the day-care sex-abuse hysteria of the 1980s and early 1990s. In "It Takes a Village", it was revealed that Hotch was assigned to temporary duty with an investigative task force in Pakistan during the period between Season Six and Season Seven. Hotch then notices a shape behind a curtain and shoots at it repeatedly. Hotch allows Reid to keep the gun, stating that as far as he was concerned, Reid had passed his evaluation. Thomas Gibson, Actor: Dharma & Greg. Aaron "Hotch" Hotchner is a fictional character from the CBS crime drama Criminal Minds, portrayed by Thomas Gibson. At his suggestion, his position was taken over by his friend and former colleague Emily Prentiss. Home Community TV Shows Criminal Minds Hotch and Reid Pairings. In another episode,E606 he refuses to dress up as Spider-Man for Halloween because "he's not a real super hero". They certainly suffer... and I think it's going to be very interesting to see how they work it out because I know it's certainly taking its toll. After a fourth shooting occurs, the BAU deliver the profile. 18+: Hotch. At the funeral of the second victim, a local woman, Mary Mays, tells Hotch that she knows a man that fits the profile, named Oley Maynor. However, the contract will expire when Shaunessy dies. What are you making?" Hotch is unsatisfied by the announcement, and he and Sean get into an argument over it until Sean leaves. [3] Discussing the effect working in the BAU has on the agents' personal lives, Gibson opined: "I think it can't help but take some toll. Upon returning to work, he requests a transfer to a different division, which pleases Haley, until his coworker Derek Morgan (Shemar Moore) convinces him to help the team with a case in Milwaukee. After the interrogation, Karl reveals that he has received communications from Foyet and that he is planning to return to make a final stand against Hotch. He tells Clara that she needs to resist her compulsions, but when she states that she cannot and prepares to throw the flare, Hotch shoots her in the leg, stopping her from killing the students. Next → Season 5. In "A Place at the Table," Hotch struggles to make peace with his ex-father-in-law, after discovering he has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease a week prior and it appears to be worsening. He repeatedly shoots at Foyet's shadow outlined in the curtains only to discover Foyet is wearing a bullet-proof vest. However, Hotch is conflicted. Hotch ends up being the one to disarm the unsub's son, who had gotten a hold of Morgan's gun from Prentiss. In "Retaliation", he returned to duty, his former sister-in-law, Jessica Brooks, taking care of Jack while he's away. Thomas Gibson’s exit from Criminal Minds was by far the most controversial.Gibson, who played Unit Chief Senior Special Agent Aaron "Hotch" Hotchner… Later, he makes a connection with a female runner while training for a triathlon. Gibson was cast as Hotchner having previously starred in the comedy series Dharma and Greg. He then allows the man's mother to come in and apologize to him for what she had done. ", referring to the fact that Haley had always known deep down that he wouldn't stop his work. He knows his job is costing him in time spent with his wife and son. The episode ends with the sound of a gunshot. Kassmeyer reveals that Foyet ambushed him and demanded to know the location of Hotch's family. He returns to the team in order to help them investigate a case. Hotch was a former profiler in the Seattle, WA field Office before transferring to Quantico. In "The Bittersweet Science", Hotch meets a woman named Beth Clemmons while training for a triathlon and they start a conversation. Hotchner takes full responsibility for keeping the information from his team and says, "If anyone has any issues, they should be directed towards me.". Shocked and confused by Peter's sudden surrender, Hotch goes outside and watches Peter being taken away by Morgan and JJ. The anarchists shoot at them, and they kill several while the helicopter takes off. In "The Storm", Hotch is suddenly arrested by a SWAT team in his home in the middle of the morning, with Jack, JJ, and Henry LaMontagne bearing witness. Male Focus: TV Shows Criminal Minds, Since: 11-11-10. Following Thomas Gibson’s firing from Criminal Minds in August, fans finally have some closure on his character Aaron Hotchner. 19. Despite this, however, he carries his sidearm and backup with his right hand. When Cissy is abducted by the unsub and is found to be Malachi's long-lost sister, Hotch brings him in and asks why Cissy was kicked out of the family. Alias "Some pasta for you. In season 3 of Criminal Minds, episode 2, “In Name and Blood,” Hotchner is under suspension. In "Wheels Up", Hotch left the Witness Protection Program following Peter Lewis's death and chose not to return to the BAU, so he could continue raising Jack as a full-time father. Aaron Hotchner’s Criminal Minds exit was due to the real world actions of Thomas Gibson. In "The Inspiration", it is revealed that Hotch had been offered the position of BAU Section Chief, which had been left vacant after the death of Erin Strauss at the hands of John Curtis. Later, Hotch receives a call from the Reaper, who offers Hotch the same deal that he offered Shaunessy, but Hotch refuses to accept. Although there were some Criminal Minds fans who weren't exactly on Haley's side in the divorce, others jumped to her defense. Hotch tells the rest of the team that they must recapture all of them. Following Gibson's dismissal from the series during the 12th season, the Hotchner character was gradually written out. In "Painless", Hotch finds out that Jack is having trouble with a classmate and, after asking him, he learns how Jack is trying to solve it by himself. In "Compulsion", Hotch and his team search for a serial arsonist who has been terrorizing a college campus. He had (spiritually) told Haley that he would come back to the BAU, and when Rossi asks him if he "told her yet", Hotch replied, "I don't have to. All of a sudden she starts acting upset and withdrawn, and needs Hotch's help. The deal was that if Shaunessy stopped hunting for the Reaper, he, in turn, would stop hunting victims. After the Reaper kills another couple, Hotch admits that he has been profiling the case alone for the last ten years. Reid ends up failing his test. When Rossi asks him what he could remember, Hotch is on the verge of tears and closes his eyes in fear. Before that, he was a prosecutor after having earned his degree of Juris Doctor at the George Washington University in Washington, D.C., in 1990. This has caused him to put pressure on his subordinates, which is gradually creating tension among the team members. After Lewis' death, Hotchner and Jack leave the Witness Protection Program, but Hotchner chooses to spend time with his son as a full-time father, rather than return to the BAU. [3], Before Gibson was cast in the role, the character was originally envisioned as a "blonde haired, blue-eyed Mormon". Hotchner is promoted to Section Chief after Strauss resigns in the episode "Self-Fulfilling Prophecy" because she had been drinking on the job. The two engage in a fistfight, which eventually ends when Hotch violently beats Foyet to death in sheer rage as the rest of his team arrives, witnessing him pummeling an already dead body. When Perotta notices the correction, he asks what the use of "some" means. Later, he learns from Reid that Peter was arrested by Morgan and JJ, having surrendered without resistance. She accepts and kisses him to "get it out of the way" before things got awkward. Thomas Gibson — the actor who played Hotch on Criminal Minds for over 11 seasons — received a suspension after just two episodes in Season 12. She already knows. Haley, on the other hand, continually encourages her husband to ask for a permanent transfer. However, after 11 seasons, his character disappeared. Hotchner replies, "and some people grow up to catch them". Why Thomas Gibson Left Criminal Minds. Hotch demands to know who gave the Justice Department the permission to put him under surveillance. This causes Hotch to deduce that the Justice Department had been watching him, which Ritchie later confirms. Hotch was reviewing the case with the team when he began to feel unwell and eventually passed out. During the beginning of the episode "Closing Time", it is revealed that Hotchner and Beth have continued training as well as having lunches together. Instead, Ritchie shows him a video recording of Peter Lewis testifying against Hotch about his experience with him during the events of Mr. Scratch, during which he claimed seeing him laugh after hallucinating the deaths of his team, which alarmed him. In the episode "Natural Born Killer", Vincent Perotta questions Hotch as to the meaning of "some people [from extremely abusive and violent households] grow up to become killers." Variety is the spice of life. On the Job: After a two-week suspension for releasing a serial killer, Hotch requested a transfer by Erin Strauss, who was pressuring him for such a request. In "To Hell and Back, part 2", Hotch comes home to find that Foyet is in his apartment, waiting for him. Karl reveals several notes featuring Foyet's signature symbol, The Eye of Providence. In "Doubt", it was revealed that Hotch had previously worked as a prosecutor. Towards the end of the episode, Hotch approaches Morgan at his desk and lets him know he appreciated what he did for the team as Acting Unit Chief, complimenting his natural leadership and initiative. He rushes to the house where Regan is staying at, only to witness Regan commit suicide while drugged. Hotch informs Rossi of this, and after the BAU concludes a manhunt, both go to a bar, where they are met by two women, Celine Destin and Audrey Hansen. When they arrive, Hotch is able to convince her to show them where she was hiding the boy. "[4] Prior to Hotchner and Haley's separation, in a 2007 interview Gibson stated that he hoped the two would make their relationship last, explaining: "Marriage can certainly survive lots of hardships. Cook; Kirsten Vangsness; Thomas Gibson; Country of origin : United States: No. Of the transition to Criminal Minds, he explained: "It's very nice to do a little bit of the darkness after a little bit of the lightness. Jack and Beth take a liking to one another and Hotch escorts them away. Hotch then asks Sergeant Weigart's permission to reenact the parks shootings to better understand the shooters M.O. First Appearance At the same time, a hacker launches a cyber-attack against the BAU headquarters, causing a widespread blackout in the process. The doctor warns him that if he isn't careful, he will go deaf, but instead, he goes along with the rest of the team to investigate a case. Hotchner is also very protective of Spencer Reid (Matthew Gray Gubler), the youngest member of the team. Marshal and that she should meet him at an unknown location. Hotch replies that parts of the drugging episode didn't make sense, implying he had seen more than just Peter killing his team. Later, it is determined that the unsubs are a racist cult determined to frame Native Americans for the crimes and start a war between them and Caucasians. Hotch's ID, which contains a rare instance of him smiling. While searching for Clara, Reid remembers that the third floor of the science building was under construction and Hotch heads there. Hotch, unconvinced by Sue's story, interrogates Ian and manages to get him to admit that he saw Sue kill Doug. Criminal Minds One-Shots. … Hotch believes it was Antonia Slade, who he had recently investigated. We all need a little levity, but I wouldn't necessarily look for him to break into song and dance. In "A Family Affair", Hotch eats with Beth at a café and tells her that he'd like her to meet Jack. Responding, Hotch says, "And some people grow up to catch them." He is left-handed, a trait that he shares with Penelope Garcia. However, Oley is exonerated after being interrogated by Morgan and Elle. In "Route 66", a teenage girl named Samantha Wilcox was abducted by her father, ex-convict Eddie Lee Wilcox, with the BAU being called in to assist in the case due to Eddie's criminal history. After his ex-wife's murder, Hotchner takes time off to grieve and spend time with his son. Strauss concludes that Hotchner's actions were entirely justifiable. Hotch is pleased with Derek's abilities to lead. The BAU go to Kassmeyer's house and find him critically wounded. Hotch asks Dowd for one favor before the SWAT bursts in and more than likely kill everyone inside: to attack Reid for getting him into the situation. Her position towards the events eventually changes upon speaking directly with Hotchner who, when asked what he believed would have happened if Foyet had lived, responds: "I don't have to think; I know that he would have tried to kill my son, too." After realizing the control Mary had over Eddie's life, Hotch has Morgan and Elle investigate her house, and they find traces of blood and bleach. At the end of the episode, the woman, Beth Clemmons (Bellamy Young), makes it clear that she is interested in him romantically, leaving Hotchner with an uncharacteristic smile. The surname of Hotchner is of Old Dutch or Low German in origin; its meaning translates to "fair judge" or "objective one". Hotch denies this and tells Ritchie his realization that the Justice Department plans to keep him in interrogation to later use him as a scapegoat in case they were unable to prevent Rawdon from committing a terrorist attack. Ritchie initially refuses to answer until Hotch threatens to get a lawyer. As a favor to the D.A. Inspired designs on t-shirts, posters, stickers, home decor, and more by independent artists and designers from around the world. Specialty Appealing to Tony Axelrod, an NSA employee, Hotch identifies the hacker as Peter Lewis. His hearing had been damaged as a result of a car explosion at the beginning of Season Four. By the end of the episode, the BAU celebrate the closure of the case with a party at Rossi's estate. Requested by EquinoxEclipse--"Welcome back, Aaron," You said as the man entered the kitchen. In "Paradise", he started to doubt himself when a suspect he previously interviewed turned out to be the unsub. He has always been extremely serious, determined, and focused on his leadership of the team, never seeming to waver or lose sight of the task ahead, barely allowing his dry wit and humor to appear. Beth later approaches him and Jack and he formally introduces her to his son. In order to get him to open up, Hotch fills the role of the man's abusive father, berating and insulting him. When Garcia asked if the police are going to find Foyet, he replies, "No, they're not.". At the episode's conclusion, he completes his triathlon and meets up with Jack and the rest of the team. He is then ambushed by Peter, who sprays the drug in his face and incapacitates him. It's pretty bone dry. There's also a kind of detachment that has to be there for you to do this job acceptably, but at the same time there's a very engaged quality to the work where you have to dedicate yourself to the idea that you're putting yourself in these criminals' shoes, because that's how they're effective at doing it. Hotch remembers that a girl named Clara Hayes who repeated one word three different times kept turning her ring around in intervals of three and was one of the students working on the three-body problem. He speaks at Haley's funeral.E510 Hotchner is offered early retirement from the BAU in order to be with his son. Hotch met his wife, Haley, at a theater group, which he joined in order to get close to her. [3] Of Hotch's relationship with the rest of the BAU team, Gibson commented: I think they all know he is dedicated to doing the job. Joyner eventually dies from her injuries, and Hotchner suffers shrapnel wounds and a punctured eardrum which resulted in hyperacusis, causing temporary hearing problems.E402 Later in the season, the team works one of Hotchner's old cases: the case of the Boston Reaper, a serial killer who preys on couples. Stuck at home, Hotchner tries to stay present, but his work keeps drawing him back in. Having gained access to her Witsec-issued home, Foyet forces Haley to call Hotchner on speaker phone. Tauntingly, Peter taps his temple and smiles at him. Gibson had an integral role on “Criminal Minds” as the Aaron Hotchner, known as “Hotch,” the head of the profiler unit. As proof, he shows him an audio recording of a 911 call purportedly made by Hotch; and a paper with copies of receipts detailing Hotch's apparent purchases of nitromethane, diesel fuel, and blasting caps. Hotch shoots and incapacitates Rawdon, causing him to drop a flashbang grenade that unintentionally incapacitates the other anarchists. Main Character Immediately after his release, Hotch leads another SWAT team into Virginia Supermax, where Rawdon and the other anarchists have already taken control. Actor Thomas Gibson starred as Aaron "Hotch" Hotchner on Criminal Minds since the show's inception in 2005. Fans of the crime drama will remember him as the former unit chief of Quantico's Behavioral Analysis Unit, the supervisor of all special agents, and the team's Media Liaison Officer. Darkened Night. I thought you'd enjoy a home-cooked me. The episode then abruptly ends before he could continue. Job At the beginning of the show's fourth season, Hotchner and SSA Kate Joyner (Sienna Guillory) are caught in the bombing outside the New York City Federal Plaza. [1] After appearing in the first two episodes of the 2016-2017 season, the Hotchner character was removed from the opening credits of subsequent episodes. Rossi takes over the investigation, while Garcia stays at the hospital with Hotch. Gibson characterized Hotchner as having "moments of levity", but continued: "Unfortunately, he has a very, very, probably-dusty-it's-so-dry sense of humor. Aaron Hotch Hotchner ist der Leiter der BAU-Einheit (Unit Chief) und der direkte Vorgesetzte der anderen Agents. a group of anarchists and homegrown terrorists, https://criminalminds.fandom.com/wiki/Aaron_Hotchner?oldid=208569, I don't make deals, I'm the guy who hunts guys like. He follows bloodstains upstairs and discovers Haley's corpse. ", Hotch coaches Reid in firing a handgun (a Glock 26), since Reid was barely able to pass his last firearms qualification test. Hotch then realizes that Peter is after Regan, who had been put into witness protection after her work during the sex-abuse hysteria was debunked. By the end of the day, he returns home to find Jack sleeping on the couch, still wearing the Darth Vader costume. Portrayed By With few exceptions, he takes the ethics of his profession very seriously, as evidenced by his angry reaction to Elle Greenaway's (Lola Glaudini) killing of a suspect, which he believed was cold-blooded murder. However, the party is interrupted when Hotch and Garcia receive word that the anarchists managed to orchestrate other prison breaks in three different states. In "Gabby", after a four-year-old girl named Gabby Hoffer is abducted while under the watch of a relative, Sue Walsh, Garcia discovers that Sue made multiple calls to Ian Little, a suspect arrested in the case. Malachi eventually states that he and Cissy were in an incestuous relationship as teenagers and he accidentally got Cissy pregnant, leading the team to realize that the unsub is their child. Made of: 77% Cotton, 21% Nylon, 2% Lycra; Size: One size fits most. + Follow After another attack occurs, the BAU find that the victims were all hypnotized using a sophisticated dissociative drug cocktail. Though Ritchie admits that he could be able to justify them, he tells Hotch about one last, completely inexcusable judgment call: his drugging at Peter's hands, and his decision to not include, in his Bureau psychological evaluation, the fact that the powerful drug Peter used easily induced psychotic breaks in other victims. Reid promptly shoots Dowd in the head, just as Hotch had planned all along. The BAU and SWAT shoot at the helicopter, managing to hit the bomb inside and detonating it, destroying the helicopter and thwarting the attack.