Why is Kelli Giddish leaving Law and Order: SVU?
By Cody Schultz
Across its historic run, Law and Order: SVU has seen its fair share of cast departures with several actors coming and going over the years. It’s an understandable move for a show that entering its 24th(!) season, after all, many shows struggle to keep all of its core cast members around for a handful of seasons let alone 24 seasons.
While we’ve grown to expect casting shake-ups, we have to confess that we were completely blindsided — like all of the show’s fans — when news broke that Kelli Giddish would be exiting the series after 12 seasons in the role of Detective Amanda Rollins.
The news sent shockwaves through the Law and Order fandom, as there had been no indication Giddish would be leaving the series when season 23 came to a close back in May. Her character is a central part of the show and one of the show’s longest-tenured members, which makes her departure that much more shocking to fans who are eager to know why exactly the actress is walking away from the show.
Why is Kelli Giddish leaving SVU?
While many cast departures tend to be connected to an actor or actress’s desire to walk away from the series in order to pursue new creative ventures, that is not the case with Kelli Giddish’s departure from SVU. The exit was not a decision made by Giddish, but rather she seems to have been shown the door as a result of a call made from the higher-ups behind the series.
Watch One Chicago on fuboTV: Watch over 67 live sports and entertainment channels with a 7-day FREE trial!
As reported by Variety, the decision to write Giddish’s character out of the show was “a call made from above” and is said to have been connected to salary negotiations and decisions made about the future of her character on the show. Additional rumors circulating online connected to pop culture curator Deuxmoi suggest Giddish was pushed out by Dick Wolf directly for conflicting reasons.
Next. Who’s in, who’s out within the Law and Order franchise?. dark
For the latest Law and Order, SVU and Organized Crime spoilers and news, plus more on the entire series, follow the Law and Order shows category at One Chicago Center.