Kelli Giddish exiting ‘Law & Order: SVU’ after 12 seasons

Kelli Giddish, who has played hard-boiled detective Amanda Rollins on “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” since 2011, is leaving the show this season.

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Giddish, 42, went on Instagram to confirm that she was leaving the popular crime drama television show after 12 seasons.

“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,’” Giddish wrote. “Playing Rollins 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. There is simply no other character on TV like Rollins. 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.”

Giddish first joined the series at the beginning of Season 13, when her character was introduced in the episode, “Scorched Earth,” Entertainment Tonight reported. She joined the show along with Danny Pino as Det. Nick Amaro after Christopher Meloni’s unexpected departure at the end of season 12.

According to Variety, Giddish’s departure from the show was not her choice, and it also was not the decision of showrunner David Graziano.

Mariska Hargitay, who is both the star and an executive producer on the show, along with at least one other producer, pushed to keep Giddish on the show, but the decision had already been made, according to Variety.

The entertainment news outlet also noted that salary negotiations were part of the conversation and a compromise could not be reached in that area.

“You might take a moment to entertain the idea that things are more complex than they appear in a world of emojis and tweets,” Graziano wrote in the comments section of Giddish’s Instagram post. “All I’ll say is Kelli has handled this with the most incredibly classy comportment.”

“She is, without a doubt, one of the finest industry professionals I’ve come across in my 24 years of writing television,” Graziano added. “I’m saddened by her looming exit. It’ll be my lucky day if I ever get to write for her again.”

Peter Scanavino’s character, Dominick “Sonny” Carisi Jr., began a romantic relationship with Rollins at the end of last season. Producer Julie Martin promised fans via Twitter that the couple “will have a happy ending” before Giddish exits the show sometime in the upcoming season.

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