American police crime drama television series "Criminal Minds" is currently facing cancellation rumors. This is reportedly because of actor Thomas Gibson's exit on the series, which results in his character, Aaron Hotchner, to fully exit on the CBS drama.

According to a recent report from Cinema Blend, Gibson had an onset altercation with one of the writers for the second episode of Season 12 that resulted in him being suspended at first but later turned to termination.

The writer and the 54-year-old actor reportedly had some misunderstandings with regards to the script on the episode which eventually caused for them to argue.

The writer, Virgil Williams, had revealed what really happened on the set of the CBS series to People Magazine, and it was reported that the two had different sides of the story.

The subsequent event had made the network's decision to fire the actor. But this time, reports are claiming that Gibson may return to the series to help boost the ratings again. It has been obvious for many that his exit from the show has caused a major declination on the ratings, as per Morning News USA.

Fans and followers of the series even protested on his departure and created the hashtag #NoHotchNoWatch, implying that the actor's character, protagonist Aaron Hotchner, is a major loss of the series and therefore without him on the show, it is not going to be worthwhile to watch anymore. Some decided to boycott the series until they bring the actor back on it.

Others speculate that CBS has no choice but to cancel "Criminal Minds" if they are not going to do anything about the series' poor status on ratings. The series, which has been airing for 11 years now, is currently in its 12th season and it would be to the dismay of fans if the show would not be renewed for another season.