- “"You said some people grow up to be killers and some people grow up to catch them."”
- ―Aaron Hotchner
Aaron Hotchner was one of the former main characters in Criminal Minds. He is portrayed by Thomas Gibson. He is the head leader or unit chief of the BAU. In season 12, his role was taken over by Emily Prentiss and in season 13 he left the BAU to spend more time with his son.
Appearance[]
Aaron is a caucasian man with wavy black hair that is split into two sections. For the most part, he is seen wearing a black suit over a white-collared shirt with a red tie. However, he changes its time from time. His pants are also the same color while wearing a black belt and shoes.
Personality[]
Aaron is seen is to be the most serious and level-headed out of the group and it rarely changes throughout the series. He acts as the leader in the group, informing his fellow members where to search for evidence and contacting Penelope for assistance. Additionally, he is rarely seen smiling. Outside of the workforce, he is a much different person. He even boldly states how his temperament changes compared to work and home:
"I catch killers. I save lives. I'm a hero until my key hits my front door, and then I'm just the father and the husband who's never there."
When spending time with his son and deceased wife, he is more carefree, affectionate, and good-humored.
While he is serious and serene Aaron can still lose his cool. In "100", his eyes start to water as he hears Haley's final moments before being shot and killed by George Foyet. Haley even tells her husband to stop being so serious. After hearing the gunshots, he bursts into tears and slams his phone in anger and frustration. In the following episode, he gets revenge on his wife's killer by beating him to death.
With the death of Haley, Aaron returns to his core personality but deadpan than ever before for the next following episodes.
Trivia[]
- The cause for Aaron Hotchner's departure was Thomas Gibson's violent relationships with ABC and CBS Studios. In many sources, it states that Thomas Gibson was verbally abusive to the cast and staff members. This resulted in him taking anger management classes.
- On a similar note, Thomas Gibson was arrested in January 2013 in suspicion of a DUI.
- Thomas Gibson explains his love for the show before his departure:
- “'“I love ‘Criminal Minds’ and have put my heart and soul into it for the last twelve years. I had hoped to see it through to the end, but that won’t 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."'”
- ―Thomas Gibson
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