‘Law & Order: SVU’ veteran Kelli Giddish returns for Season 25 premiere

Dun-dun. “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” veteran Kelli Giddish is returning for the long-running procedural’s 25th season, roughly a year after departing the series.

The actress, 43, will reportedly reprise the role of Amanda Rollins in the premiere of the upcoming season in January, TVLine reports.

Mariska Hargitay, who has starred as Olivia Benson since day one of the hit NBC drama, took to Instagram Tuesday to tease Giddish’s return, with a clip of them dancing to the tune of Paul Russell’s “Lil Boo Thang.”

“Back with my lil boo thang,” the Emmy winner, 59, captioned the cheery clip.

While Giddish exited the show last December, she previously returned for the Season 24 finale in a crossover with “Law & Order: Organized Crime.”

As is the way for many actors who’ve circled Dick Wolf-produced series, Giddish first appeared in “SVU” as a completely different character when she had a guest-starring role on the eighth season in 2007. Four years later, she introduced the world to Rollins when she came on board as a series regular in the Season 13 premiere.

In August 2022, Giddish confirmed via Instagram that she’d be leaving the show.

“Playing Rollins has been one of the greatest joys and privileges of my life,” she wrote at the time. “I’ve been so fortunate to be a part of the ‘Law & Order’ family for the 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.”

Sources later clarified it was not Giddish’s decision to exit the series, and was instead a choice made by higher-ups to keep the show fresh.

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