Former Law & Order: SVU star Diane Neal recently addressed rumors of tension between her and Mariska Hargitay, dismissing them with a laugh. The speculation began when court documents, obtained by Page Six, revealed Neal allegedly called Hargitay a “total bitch” in November. Neal, 44, reportedly confided in her former campaign manager, Rachel Himsel, that Ice-T was the only cast member she got along with, labeling the rest as “awful people.”
These statements surfaced as part of a lawsuit involving Neal and her ex-boyfriend, JB Benn, who is countersuing Neal in response to her accusations of sexual and physical abuse.
When speaking exclusively to Us Weekly at the Annual Ripple of Hope Awards and Auction on December 12, Neal laughed off the accusations. “That’s the funniest thing that I’ve ever heard,” she said, explaining that the remarks stemmed from a “disgruntled” former employee who had been manipulated by her ex. Neal emphasized that the campaign manager in question was only employed for three weeks.
The Ripple of Hope Awards, which honor community leaders for their work in social change and global human rights, recognized several influential figures this year, including U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling.
Neal revealed that she had since spoken with Hargitay, 55, about the alleged comments. “Mariska just laughed,” Neal said. “I was like, ‘I know. Right dude?'” Neal also mentioned offering to send Hargitay photos of injuries allegedly caused by her ex. “I will give you pictures of my beaten, broken body, which nobody realizes, too,” she said.
The controversy arose after Neal’s ex, with whom she split in March 2018, filed his lawsuit in reaction to her 2017 suit accusing him of physical abuse, theft, and harming her pets. Benn, 44, denies these allegations.
During their conversation, Hargitay, who founded the Joyful Heart Foundation to support survivors of sexual assault, domestic violence, and child abuse, focused on their shared mission. “Yeah, we’re working on the rape kit stuff more than anything,” Hargitay said, to which Neal replied, “Game on and joy will depart me at the moment.”
Neal expressed her commitment to helping others understand that “victim’s rights are human rights” and shared her plans to work with the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence.
In a statement to Page Six in November, Neal firmly denied the allegations. “There is no truth to this at all,” she said. “Most of the people I’ve worked with are amazing, I love almost everyone I’ve ever worked with. Mariska and I were not the closest, but that doesn’t mean we have any animosity towards each other, we’re still very supportive of each other. She’s a great mom, she’s great as Benson, she’s doing great charity work. I have never talked about the cast members like this, it’s salacious and untrue.”
Reporting by Travis Cronin.
