After more than a decade and 12 seasons, Kelli Giddish, aka Detective Amanda Rollins, is making her exit from “Law & Order: SVU,” the actor confirmed in an Aug. 24 Instagram post.
“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.”
“I wanted to address the chatter I’ve seen online and let everyone know that this will, indeed, be my last season on ‘Law & Order: SVU,'” Giddish wrote. “Playing Rollins has been one of the greatest joys and privileges of my life. I’ve been so fortunate to be a part of the ‘Law & Order’ family for the last 12 years. There is simply no other character on TV like Rollins. She’s grown and changed, and I have as well. 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.”
Giddish concluded her statement by saying, “I want to thank Dick Wolf, Mariska Hargitay, Warren Leight, Peter Jankowski, NBC, Universal Television, all of my co-stars, every single member on the crew and all the writers here for our incredible work together these last 12 years. I’m so excited to take all the things I have learned in my time on SVU and put them toward everything that’s next to come….”
At this time, it’s unclear how exactly Giddish will be written off “SVU,” but a new promo teaser for season 24’s fall finale hints that it may involve the wedding of Giddish’s Rollins and Peter Scanavino’s Sonny Carisi, which would bring their romance full circle. In the 30-second clip released on Nov. 17, Rollins walks into a courtroom wearing a white dress with a bouquet in hand, later hugging Hargitay’s Detective Olivia Benson. Ice-T’s Sergeant Fin Tutuola then jokingly asks, “You gonna start crying already, Liv?”
Fans will have to wait until Dec. 8 to find out how Rollins says goodbye, as her “I’m leaving SVU” voice-over in the teaser confirms it’ll quite possibly be our last time seeing her. Read ahead to learn more about Giddish’s departure.