Since the thirteenth season of “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit,” Kelli Giddish has remained a consistent cast member on the show. After Christopher Meloni stepped down from his role as Amanda Rollins at the conclusion of season 12, the 42-year-old actress stepped into the role. Giddish was swiftly included into the core rotating cast, which helped a great deal in filling the massive void that Meloni’s departure left behind.
Following in the footsteps of Olivia Benson, played by Mariska Hargitay, and Odafin Tutuola, played by Ice-T, Amanda Rollins has gone on to become a fan-favorite character and is currently one of the longest-running characters in the show. On the other hand, it would appear that Rollins’ time on the legendary show may be coming to an end far sooner than anyone had anticipated.
There have been rumblings that Giddish will not be returning to the role following the conclusion of the forthcoming 24th season. The following explains why Giddish will not be returning to the popular crime drama in the foreseeable future.
Why Did Kelli Giddish Leave SVU
The decision to let Kelli Giddish leave the programme was reportedly “decided from above,” as stated in a report that was published in Variety. In addition, numerous insiders have told the publication that the “shake-up” occurred for the following reasons:
“The production firm strives to keep the show as up-to-date and relevant as is reasonably practicable at all times.”
It would appear that Mariska Hargitay, who plays the role of Captain Olivia Benson on the NBC series and is also one of the executive producers for the show, was the one who advocated for Kelli Giddish to remain a cast member on the programme.
She had the backing of a second producer, and the cast and crew of Law & Order: SVU had talked about how much Kelli Giddish is paid and what the future holds for her character. However, no compromise could be made.
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Giddish States That Playing Rollins Has Been One Of Her Greatest Joys
On Instagram, Kelli Giddish posted the following message:
“I wanted to address the talk I’ve seen online and let everyone know that this (season 24) will in fact be my last season on Law & Order: SVU. This will be my final season on the show. My time spent on Rollins has been one of the most memorable and enjoyable experiences of my life. Over the course of the past 12 years, it has been an incredible blessing for me to be a part of the Law & Order cast and crew.
The actor continued by explaining how she has “grown and developed” alongside the character in the following way:
There is no other character on television who is even remotely comparable to Rollins. Both she and I have experienced development and maturation over the years. I began working on this programme while I was in my late 20s, and I’m thankful that I was able to spend a significant portion of my adult life with Rollins by my side.
Immediately after this, there was a significant outrage on social media, with supporters tagging Graziano and accusing him of being responsible for Rollins’s death. In response to this, he wrote the following in the comments area of an Instagram post that Kelli Giddish had shared:
In a world where everything is expressed through emojis and tweets, you should probably give some thought to the possibility that things are more complicated than they appear to be. Kelli has handled this situation with the utmost wonderfully fine comportment, that’s all I’ll say about it.”
The multi-award winning writer continued, after praising her as “one of the finest industry professionals” he has encountered in his “24 years of creating television,” saying the following about her:
I’m going to miss her, and that makes me sad. If I ever get another chance to write for her, it will be the best day of my life.
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So, How Will Rollins’s Arc End On The Show?
After the news broke, one of the show’s executive producers, Julie Martin, reassured frustrated viewers that the storyline between Rollins and her love interest, Assistant District Attorney Dominick “Sonny” Carisi Jr. (Peter Scanavino), will have a happy ending.
In the first episode of the new season of “And the Empire Strikes Back,” it was revealed that the characters were involved in a romantic relationship.
Kelli Giddish will make her final appearance as Rollins on Thursday, December 8, which will also be her last day in the role.
