Mariska Hargitay Is Still Upset About Kelli Giddish’s ‘Law & Order: SVU’ Firing

It’s been over a year since Law & Order: SVU, and Mariska Hargitay is still upset. Giddish made her exit in the middle of Season 24 after joining in Season 13. While Giddish has occasionally returned, the series is definitely not the same without her. Despite being the star and an executive producer, Hargitay told Variety it was one of the few things she didn’t get a say on.

“Kelli is my favorite actor to work with,” Hargitay shared. “Kelli is my heart. It’s a sore subject. I have a lot of say on the show, but I didn’t have enough there. 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.”

Giddish’s exit was announced in August 2022, and there were reports claiming she was forced out of SVU. While it’s still not completely clear what brought on her departure, at least her final episode as a series regular was not the last time that we’ve seen her. She returned for the Season 24 finale, which was also a crossover with Organized Crime and was in the Season 25 premiere. Giddish is also set to appear in an upcoming episode of , meaning that Rollins is not going anywhere.

Whether or not Kelli Giddish will ever come back to Law & Order: SVU full-time is unknown, but since Mariska Hargitay is still very much missing her former partner, at the very least, hopefully, she will continue to make appearances. It may not be a full return, but a guest-starring role every once in a while is definitely better than nothing. Since SVU has no end in sight for now, you never know what could happen in the future.

Even though it’s still upsetting that Giddish is not on Law & Order: SVU as a series regular, the fact that she is still occasionally appearing says a lot. There’s always the possibility more could be on the way with Rollins, and with a Season 26 happening, who knows what’s in store. Fans can always rewatch the series in full on Peacock if they want their Rollins fix, or watch new episodes of Law & Order: SVU on Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET on NBC and patiently wait for her to return.