After over 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,'" wrote Giddish. "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 when and how Giddish will be written off "SVU," but TVLine reported that an insider said her character will "experience a traumatic event early into season 24." Giddish's exit will likely impact Rollins's romantic relationship with Peter Scanavino's Carisi, as well as the dynamic of the ever-changing SVU team. Viewers will get a chance to see Giddish's final farewell after "SVU" returns on Sept. 22 for a historic three-show crossover with the revived "Law & Order" flagship and "Law & Order: Organized Crime."
Read ahead to learn more about Giddish's "SVU" departure.
Giddish's shocking Instagram statement of her exit prompted angry responses from some "SVU" fans. The actor didn't say exactly why she's leaving the series after season 24, but new showrunner David Graziano wrote a brief explanation in the comments section of her post to calm passionate viewers. "You might take a moment to entertain the idea that things are more complex than they appear in a world of emojis and tweets," he wrote. "All I'll say is Kelli has handled this with the most incredibly classy comportment. She is, without a doubt, one of the finest industry professionals I've come across in my 24 years of writing television. I'm saddened by her looming exit. It'll be my lucky day if I ever get to write for her again."
Sources told TVLine that Giddish's final "SVU" episode will air during the first half of season 24, so fans will get more clarity about Rollins's departure soon enough.
