Mariska Hargitay Was Nearly Fired From ‘SVU’ for a Bizarre Reason

Hargitay was nearly cut from the NBC drama during its third season.

September 17, 2025, 8:51pm

Pictured: Mariska Hargitay as Capt. Olivia Benson — (Photo by: Ralph Bavaro/NBC)

Mariska Hargitay may be the face of the Law & Order franchise now, but there was a time she was nearly fired for a pretty bizarre reason.

The actress is coming up on her 27^th consecutive season as Olivia Benson on the long-running spinoff Law & Order: SVU.

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While it’s hard to imagine the show without her, she almost got fired during SVU’s early days. She recalled to Allure about when she gave herself a pixie cut while shooting the third season. “My hairstylist had a glass of wine, and I really should have known better,” she said. “Maybe he’d thought I’d be aerodynamic when I was chasing perps. I have no idea.”

Pictured: Mariska Hargitay as Detective Olivia Benson — (Photo by: Craig Blankenhorn/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images via Getty Images)

“We went real short – shorter than anticipated,” Hargitay continued. “I almost got fired.” Even though she sees the look as “easy, cool, and cop-like” when looking at the pictures, she would “definitely” go back in time and erase it if she could. Luckily, Hargitay didn’t get fired, but it sounds like they were pretty strict back then. She has changed her look a number of times throughout the series, but nothing was nearly as drastic as the pixie cut.

It’s unknown if the same thing would happen now if Hargitay wanted a little change, but it might be best not to try that theory, regardless of her tenure. That being said, fans will soon be able to see Olivia Benson when SVU Season 27 premieres on Thursday, Sept. 25 on NBC. She may not have shorter hair, but she will certainly be sweeping up the bad guys once again, which is pretty great.

Pictured: Mariska Hargitay as Capt. Olivia Benson — (Photo by: Virginia Sherwood/PEACOCK)

SVU will once again be going above and beyond for Season 27, and Ice-T shared how things are going on Instagram over the summer. He posted a photo of himself looking bruised and battered and seemingly in the hospital, and it was only his first scene back. There is no telling what will go down in the new season, but 27 seasons in, the show still keeps fans on the edge of their seats.

Additionally, the season will be bringing back Kelli Giddish in a full-time capacity after she left during Season 24, proving that even if you get fired, there’s always the chance to return. Make sure to tune in to the Season 27 premiere of SVU on Thursday, Sept. 25 at 9 p.m. ET on NBC, streaming the next day on Peacock.