She wasn’t ready for her time on “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” to be dun-dun.
The sudden departure of Kelli Giddish from the crime drama show wasn’t the decision of the 42-year-old actress best known for playing Amanda Rollins since 2011, multiple sources told Variety.
Those high up in the chain of command chose to ax the detective character — whose tumultuous personal life, including a gambling addiction, two unplanned pregnancies and a troubled sister, featured heavily in the series’ past dozen seasons — according to the insiders.
The move, believed to have been made to keep the show fresh, was also influenced in part by an inability to reach an agreement when it came to both salary talks and where Giddish was going on the show, according to Variety’s insiders.
But not everyone at the top was on board. Mariska Hargitay, who has starred as Olivia Benson since the NBC procedural’s 1999 premiere and now also executive produces, reportedly challenged the decision along with at least one additional producer, Variety reports.
Giddish, who like so many other actors in Dick Wolf productions starred in another role prior to joining as a series regular, confirmed her departure on Instagram Wednesday.
The role, she said, “has been one of the greatest joys and privileges of my life.
“I’ve been so fortunate to be a part of the ‘Law & Order’ family for the last 12 years,” continued Giddish, who will not leave until at least after next month’s season 24 premiere, a crossover event with other “Law & Order” properties. “There is simply no other character on TV like Rollins. She’s grown and changed, and I have as well. ... I’m grateful I got to spend so many of my adult years with Rollins in my life.”
Newly appointed showrunner David Graziano — who sources told Variety did not make the call to scrap Giddish’s role — challenged fans’ outrage in the comments section of Giddish’ post, writing that “things are more complex than they appear in a world of emojis and tweets.”
In his remarks, Graziano also reportedly praised the “incredibly classy” response by Giddish and said he is “saddened by her looming exit.”
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