The Real Reason Kelli Giddish Is Leaving Law & Order: SVU After Season 24
"Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" fans once again must undergo the ever-so-bittersweet ritual of saying a final farewell to a longtime lead on the series. This time, it's none other than Kelli Giddish and her character of heroic detective Amanda Rollins that are making their grand exit at the end of Season 24. The character will be splitting from the show as a major player, though not before she participates in the grand crossover event between the three flagship "Law & Order" shows, and also not before fans get a resolution on her romantic relationship with Peter Scanavino's Dominick Carisi.
Only a few select members of the "Law & Order: SVU" cast can claim to have had a stint on the series for as long as Giddish has had. Joining the cast in Season 13, the star has been solving crimes for more than a decade, and her departure is a pretty major change to the status quo that's been established on the show for years. Logically, fans may be wondering what prompted the actress to leave the series. As it happens, a few interesting details on this front have been made public.
Giddish is moving on to new frontiers
It seems that Kelli Giddish is leaving "Law & Order: SVU" to start the next chapter of her acting career. In her announcement post on Instagram, the actress wrote: "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...."
Judging by Giddish's words, her departure from the series is a classic case of an actor wanting to try new things. However, the situation may be more complicated than that. Series showrunner David Graziano addressed the "Law & Order: SVU" star's surprising exit, writing: "You might take a moment to entertain the idea that things are more complex than they appear in a world of emojis and tweets. All I'll say is Kelli has handled this with the most incredibly classy comportment. She is, without a doubt, one of the finest industry professionals I've come across in my 24 years of writing for television," (via TV Line).
The acting industry can, indeed, be a tricky business. Contracts, salaries, and creative disputes are just a few elements that professionals must contend with. Though the circumstances may remain vague, Giddish's split with the series fortunately appears to be amicable. "I want to thank Dick Wolf, Mariska Hargitay, Warren Leight, 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," she wrote.