Ice-T Says the Law & Order: SVU Cast Was ‘Blindsided’ When Kelli Giddish Left, Credits Fans for Her Return
Giddish exited ‘SVU’ in season 24 and will make her return as a series regular in season 27 after making guest star appearances in between
Ice-T was just as shocked as fans were when Kelli Giddish left Law & Order: Special Victims Unit a few seasons ago.
Speaking to TVLine earlier this week, the actor and rapper said of his costar, “No one really expected her to leave the show. We got blindsided by that.”
Giddish, who plays Amanda Rollins, departed the long-running crime drama in the middle of season 24 back in December 2022.
Ice-T, who plays Odafin “Fin” Tutuola, credits the fans for Giddish’s return for the forthcoming season 27.
“But the fans said they wanted to see Kelli back, so she’s coming back,” he said of her return.
Giddish hasn’t been entirely absent from the SVU game since her departure, having made guest star appearances in various episodes throughout seasons 25 and 26.
Rollins has gone through a lot of changes throughout these guest spots, too. First, she welcomed a child with Peter Scanavino’s Dominick Carisi, celebrated the baptism of her baby boy, a son named Nicky, left her job as a professor, and got promoted to sergeant working with the NYPD Intelligence Unit.
Ice-T said his and Giddish’s onscreen friendship is just as strong when the cameras stop rolling.
“Kelli is dope. Me and her were teammates and partners,” he said.
While Ice-T has been a series regular on SVU since season 2 — only bested by Mariska Hargitay’s Olivia Benson, the only cast member to star on all seasons — he has worked with Giddish since she joined the series in season 13.
“I fell in love with Kelli as a person,” Ice-T gushed of his costar. “She’s just a sweetheart.”
PEOPLE confirmed last month that Giddish was returning to SVU full-time, a role she once called “one of the greatest joys and privileges of my life.”
In an Instagram post from August 2022, Giddish confirmed her exit and reflected on her time on the series.
“There is simply no other character on TV like Rollins. She’s grown and changed, and I have as well,” she wrote. “I started on this show when I was in my late 20s and I’m grateful I got to spend so many of my adult years with Rollins in my life.”
Speaking to PEOPLE ahead of her exit, Giddish said, “It’s funny because, after last night’s show, it does feel more final now. I didn’t expect today to feel that way. Now it’s over and everyone’s seen it. Everyone’s gotten to experience it and feel all the feels that I felt, filming that last scene with Mariska [Hargitay].”
