It’s been over a month since Criminal Minds star Thomas Gibson was axed from the hit drama following an on-set incident with writer-producer Virgil Williams. In a new People interview, the CBS star attempts to explain the argument that first led to his suspension, then to his dismissal. “We were shooting a scene late one night when I went to Virgil and told him there was a line that I thought contradicted an earlier line. He said, ‘Sorry, it’s necessary, and I absolutely have to have it,’’ the actor claims. “He came into that room and started coming towards me. As he brushed past me, my foot came up and tapped him on the leg.†Explains Gibson, “If I hadn’t moved, he would have run into me. We had some choice words, for which I apologized the next day, and that was it. It was over. We shot the scene, I went home — and I never got to go back.†The run-in happened while the cast and crew were filming episode two of the show’s 12th season, which premieres September 28; co-star Paget Brewster has been upped to a series regular in Gibson’s absence. “It seems like they’re trying to erase me from the show. That hurts. But I’m using this time to be with my kids, and I look forward to what’s next,†says Gibson. “Maybe I’ll do a comedy, or a play, or direct, or produce.†There is no word yet on how the show will handle the permanent, or at least prolonged, absence of Agent Aaron Hotchner. Admits Gibson, “I feel like it took years to make a good reputation and a minute to damage it.†It should be noted, however, that this was not the actor’s first on-set altercation; he allegedly shoved the show’s assistant director Ian Woolf during a shouting match in 2010.