Mariska Hargitay Breaks Silence on Controversial Exit of ‘Law and Order: SVU’ Co-Star

Mariska Hargitay got frank in a new interview with Variety about the controversial exit of her Law & Order: SVU co-star, Kelly Giddish, from the popular procedural.

Giddish was written off the show midway through season 24, a decision made by franchise creator Dick Wolf. She had portrayed fan-favorite Detective Amanda Rollins on SVU for 12 years, and her exit was met with dismay from SVU fans and crew alike.

Hargitay, who’s an executive producer on SVU and one of the series’ original stars, admitted that seeing Giddish go was the hardest part of her Law & Order tenure to date. Though Hargitay admitted she’s granted a great deal of power on set, she lamented she still wasn’t in a position to change Giddish’s fate.

“It’s a sore subject,” Hargitay admitted when asked by Variety. “I have a lot of say on the show, but I didn’t have enough there.”

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Hargitay continued: “I don’t like not being listened to, especially when I’m right. That relationship was one of the most powerful relationships in television because you saw these two badass women, so flawed and so there for each other.”

Hargitay promised that she’s trying to get Giddish back in a permanent capacity for SVU’s next season; but in a sign of Hargitay's flexing power, Giddish has already returned to the show as a guest star. She appeared in the season 24 finale, as well as the first episode of season 25. She’ll turn up again in the 11th episode, which airs May 2.

If Giddish were to return permanently, it wouldn’t be the first time the series brought back a departed fan-favorite. Christopher Meloni, who plays Detective Elliot Stabler on the show, returned to the series in 2021 after leaving a decade earlier over contract disputes. Along with Hargitay, he was one of the show's original stars.

While the specifics of Giddish’s SVU future are still unclear, Hargitay is simply enjoying the time she gets to spend with her friend.

“Kelli is my favorite actor to work with,” Hargitay enthused. “Kelli is my heart.”

Law & Order: SVU airs Thursdays at 9 p.m. on NBC.