Kelli Giddish leaving Law & Order: SVU during season 24

This is certainly not the Law & Order: SVU news we thought that we’d be reporting today. Mere hours after the three-part crossover with the mothership and Organized Crime was confirmed, we are now hearing that longtime cast member Kelli Giddish is set to leave the NBC hit.

What does this mean for her character of Amanda Rollins? That remains to be seen, with the same thing being said for her on-screen love interest in Sonny Carisi. These two have had quite a journey already, as Amanda has on her own. This is someone who has appeared on nearly 250 episodes, making her a stalwart of the drama over the course of the past decade.

TVLine notes that a specific date for Giddish’s departure remains unclear, but it will happen at some point during the first half of the season. Here is what she had to say in a statement:

“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 … 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.

“I want to thank Dick Wolf, Mariska Hargitay, 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.”

Remember that SVU premieres on NBC come Thursday, September 22 as a part of the aforementioned crossover.

What do you think about Kelli Giddish leaving Law & Order: SVU during season 24?

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This article was written by Jessica BunBun.