Ice-T is a veteran. He's been rapping longer than pretty much any other superstar, and he's been on TV longer than some of his NBC peers have been alive. He joined Law & Order: SVU back in 200, and has been a staple on the beloved procedural drama alongside Mariska Hargitway.
Ice-T is the longest-running male series actor in history, and the second longest-running actor behind his aforementioned co-star. Rumors of retirement make total sense given how long he has played Fin Tutuola. The rapper/actor recently addressed these rumors, however, and made it clear that he has no plans to wrap it up soon.
Ice-T will NOT be retiring soon
Ice-T, born Tracy Morrow, has no plans to leave Law & Order: SVU. Nor does he have plans to stop putting out music. The reason why? Well, according to him, being able to do both at his age is a rare privilege that he is not taking for granted. "RETIRE??? I'm lucky enough to Act and do Music," he wrote on Instagram. "As an Artist, those are jobs you simply NEVER want to stop doing.. Ever 💎."
This absolutely tracks with Ice-T's previous comments about SVU. The actor loves his gig on the show, and whenever the prospect of him leaving comes up, he turns it into a joke. TODAY asked whether he had a specific vision for Fin's exit, and he quipped that he would be the last SVU star standing. "He's the last one standing," he said with a smile. "Everybody else died, and Fin is alive."
Ice-T wants to stay true to his character
In a more serious sense, however, Ice-T doesn't know how Fin's story will resolve. He does now what he doesn't want to see happen to the character. "At the end of the day, hopefully they don’t twist my character and make me go out like a sucker or a rat or some bullsh*t," he said in 2023. "They let me go out right — in a blaze of glory, some kind of way."
The legendary rapper remains amused by the fact that he was never supposed to be on SVU for very long. He was originally brought on for a four episode arc, but his chemistry with the rest of the actors was so good that the producers kept him around. 25 years later, here we are. Obviously, it all worked out for the best.