Kelli Giddish Bid Farewell to ‘Law & Order: SVU’ Fans Before Her Final Episode

Kelli Giddish has bid farewell to Law & Order: SVU. Ahead of Thursday night’s newest episode, which marked the actress’ last as Det. Amanda Rollins on the hit show, Giddish took a moment to reflect on the past 12 years as she offered a special message of gratitude to fans in an emotional goodbye post.

During Thursday night’s episode (warning: spoilers ahead!), Giddish’s character married ADA Dominick “Sonny” Carisi in front of close friends as witnesses. It was also revealed that she would leave the squad to instead teach forensic psychology at a local university, leaving open the possibility for the actress’ possible return to the series in the future and making possible her upcoming reprisal of the role on SVU spinoff Law & Order: Organized Crime later this season. But just prior to her exit, Giddish took to Instagram to bid farewell to the show and the throngs of fans who have supported her across her 12-year SVU tenure. Sharing a gallery of images from her time on SVU, she wrote, “To everyone who supported Rollins – THANK YOU!”

Giddish’s Thursday night exit did not come as a shock to fans. It was first confirmed back in August that would be leaving SVU after more than a decade on the show. It was reported at the time that her exit was not her decision, nor was it a decision from the new showrunner, David Graziano. Amid rumors and reports that her departure wasmade by executives “above” those directly responsible for the SVU story, Giddish eventually publicly addressed her departure.

“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 confirmed. “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’s Thursday evening post spurred plenty of emotions in fans, with dozens jumping into the comments section to react. Replying to the post, one person wrote, “SVU will never be the same, and we won’t get over it. Thank you for your flawless portrayal of Amanda Rollins,” with another fan commenting, “Thank you for portraying Amanda so beautifully. You will be so missed.” Another person added, “Thank you for giving us Amanda Rollins – A fierce and complex character who showed us that healing and growth is neither linear or easy, but absolutely possible and worth it.”