Major Law & Order: SVU Star Exiting Series in Season 24

Law & Order: SVU fans received some disappointing news today, as Kelli Giddish has revealed she will be exiting SVU during the upcoming season 24. Giddish confirmed the news in a statement to The Wrap, where she called the experience of being on the show “one of the greatest joys and privileges of my life.” Giddish has played the fan-favorite detective Amanda Rollins on SVU since 2011, and now after 12 years with the show, she is moving on to new projects and starting the next chapter of her career. It remains to be seen how she will be written off the show, but hopefully, the opportunity for future appearances will still be there like some of the other former detectives of the Special Victims Unit.

In her statement, Giddish wrote “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,” Giddish said.

It also remains to be seen how the show will handle Rollins’ relationship with Peter Scanavino’s Sonny Carisi, as their relationship has been a consistent highlight for fans. It doesn’t seem that Scanavino is leaving the show, so fans are definitely hoping nothing happens to the characters that would change that relationship after waiting for them to actually become a couple for so long.

Law & Order: SVU has its season 24 premiere on NBC on September 22nd at 9 PM EST.

What do you think of the news? Let us know in the comments and as always you can talk all things Law & Order with me on Twitter @MattAguilarCB!