'Criminal Minds'' Gibson joins Twitter, thanks fans

Thomas Gibson is off Criminal Minds, but now he's on Twitter.

The actor, fired last week in the aftermath of an on-set altercation, joined the social-media service Tuesday. He had nine tweets and more than 5,000 followers by early Wednesday evening.

CBS and ABC Studios, which produces the CBS hit drama, last week announced Gibson's dismissal after reports emerged alleging he had kicked the writer of an episode he was directing. They said details regarding the departure of his character, special agent Aaron Hotchner, would be announced later.

In his first tweet, Gibson, whose Twitter handle is @ImThomasGibson, expressed disappointment with the situation and thanked fans for their support.

In his second tweet, he said he joined Twitter to stay in direct contact with fans.

After initial reports last week that Gibson would be suspended after the reported altercation, CBS and ABC Studios released a joint statement Friday announcing the firing: "Thomas Gibson has been dismissed from Criminal Minds. Creative details for how the character's exit will be addressed in the show will be announced at a later date."

In a statement Friday, Gibson, who had been on the FBI profiler drama since its 2005 premiere, told Paste BN: "I love Criminal Minds and have put my heart and soul into it for the last 12 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."

The actor, in another Tuesday tweet, said this "is not an ending, but a beginning as well," although he did not mention any specific plans.

He also linked to a posting about "looking forward to what's down the road" in his Instagram account, thomasgibsonofficial. That account has 159,000 followers.

Season 12 of Criminal Minds premieres Sept. 28 (9 ET/PT).