The SVU star is no stranger to the legion of fans rooting for a Bensler happily-ever-after.
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit icon Mariska Hargitay is weighing in on the multi-decade discussion surrounding Olivia Benson’s rollercoaster relationship with her former partner, Elliot Stabler.
During a March 2026 red carpet interview with TIME, Hargitay opened up about the “girl advice” she would give Benson about her relationship with Stabler (Chris Meloni). Well-versed in the romantic tremors surrounding Benson and Stabler, Hargitay couldn’t help but remain coy over the long-running will-they-won’t-they dynamic between the two partners, telling the interviewer, “Oh, this is good stuff!”
But for all of the intimate moments they’ve had over the years, Benson and Stabler’s friendship has always reigned supreme for Hargitay. “I would say, ‘What a beautiful love, and respect, and friendship you two have,” Hargitay said on the red carpet.
The interviewer couldn’t help herself as she playfully added, “And you should kiss.”
“And we should kiss,” Hargitay agreed. After having a big laugh over the truthful reaction, Hargitay revealed that those questions “always” end with some hilarious remark over Benson and Stabler’s multi-decade chemistry.
Bensler fans have been crossing their fingers for nearly three decades, so Hargitay and Meloni are no strangers to the suspense.
Mariska Hargitay and Chris Meloni dish details about Bensler’s future on SVU
Meloni remains similarly tight-lipped about the romantic fate of the SVU icons, telling TV Insider in April 2025, “I think [Hargitay and I], and the writers are trying to find a satisfying way home, we just don’t know what that home is.”
But when asked to disclose Stabler’s true feelings for Benson, Meloni was forced to hit the interview with a “next question.” While the romantic tension is certainly simmering, the Benson-Stabler relationship is storied and complicated, so a happily ever after likely wouldn’y come easily. Bensler might just be one of the slowest slow burns in primetime history.
RELATED: Watch Every Gripping Episode of Law & Order: SVU Season 27 Here
During a 2022 appearance on The Drew Barrymore Show, Hargitay spoke more candidly about the complications Benson and Stabler needed to navigate before sealing the deal. “The energy is there — Olivia has been in love with him for many a year, and I think that we are slowly finding our way back to it, but I want to give him the amount of time he needs to grieve [the death of his wife] Kathy Stabler,” Hargitay explained, adding that Benson also has some of her own trust issues with Stabler.
“We’re really trying to figure out what to do, but Olivia Benson is hurt; [Stabler] left me in a lurch for 10 years,” Hargitay explained, recalling Stabler’s infamous exit from the SVU after Season 12. Stabler has been working his way back into Benson’s heart since Season 22 of SVU, when his wife passed away and he became a single man. But Benson hasn’t been rushing into anything, letting Stabler properly move on before starting any chapter with him.
