In November 2023, NBC announced that Kelli Giddish would return as a special guest star for the season 25 premiere.
It is unclear if she will return for more episodes in the future.
Mariska Hargitay teased the reunion with a video post on her Instagram.
The video, which is captioned, “Back with my lil boo thang,” features the two actresses dancing to Paul Russel’s Lil Boo Thang.
She also returned at the end of season 24 to announce her character’s pregnancy.
The storyline pregnancy coincided with the actress’ real-life pregnancy.
What has Kelli Giddish said about her role on the show?
According to a statement by Giddish: “I wanted to address the chatter I’ve seen online and let everyone know that this will, indeed, be my last season on ‘Law & Order: SVU.’”
She went on to say that playing the character of Rollins had been one of the greatest joys and privileges of her life.
“There is simply no other character on TV like Rollins,” she said.
“She’s grown and changed, and I have as well.”
“I started on this show when I was in my late 20s and I’m grateful I got to spend so many of my adult years with Rollins in my life.”
When did Kelli Giddish take a break from Law & Order:
According to Variety, “Kelli Giddish’s upcoming Law & Order: Special Victims Unit exit was not her choice, nor was it a decision made by showrunner David Graziano.”
The decision, made by higher-ups, was made partially to ensure that the show would always remain as up-to-date as possible.
Variety also reported, “Mariska Hargitay, who is both the star and an executive producer on the Dick Wolf drama, as well as at least one other producer, pushed to keep Giddish on the procedural, but the decision had already been made.”
In addition to potentially wanting to bring some new blood to the squad, SVU executives reportedly couldn’t agree with Giddish regarding her contract or Rollins’ future on the show.