Kelli Giddish Posts Message To Fans Ahead Of Final Episode On ‘Law & Order: SVU’, Mariska Hargitay & Warren Leight Bid Her Farewell

Kelli Giddish has said goodbye and thanks to fans of Rollins ahead of her final episode Thursday on Law & Order: SVU.

“To everyone who supported Rollins  – THANK YOU,” Giddish wrote on Instagram Thursday alongside a photo of her with castmate Mariska Hargitay.

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Warren Leight, SVU‘s longtime showrunner, paid tribute to Giddish in a tweet Thursday, hours before her final episode. “When we first started writing for [Kelli Giddish], I wondered if there was anything she couldn’t do. Emotion, exposition, authority, vulnerability, empathy… I soon realized, no matter what we came up with, she’d always make it work, seemingly without effort. It’s been a privilege.”

SVU star and executive producer Mariska Hargitay also posted a farewell message to Giddish.

“Kelli, I’ve loved acting, learning, growing, talking, laughing and crying with you,” she wrote on Instagram. “I’ve loved watching your achingly beautiful performances. I’ve loved watching our friendship deepen and grow and blossom. I’ve loved every single minute of it, and I will miss you so much. You have my respect, my gratitude and my love forever.”

Giddish announced in August that she would be departing the series in the middle of the 24th season. “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,” she said in a statement at the time. “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 is set to reprise her role as Rollins on SVU spinoff Law & Order: Organized Crime later this season.

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