This story contains spoilers from season 24 of Law and Order: SVU.
Folks, it's finally happened. After 12 seasons of being on Law and Order: SVU, Kelli Giddish has officially left the building. While the lead-up to her exit was unexpected, her character Detective Amanda Rollins got the happy ending she deserved. But it was no consolation to fans.
During the December 8 episode of the NBC drama, viewers saw many changes occur for Rollins. She decided to step down as a detective for a slower-paced life as a college professor teaching forensic psychology. She had a heart-to-heart with her captain and close friend, Olivia Benson (Mariska Hargitay). But in the most shocking move of all, she and ADA Sonny Carisi (Peter Scanavino) decided to run to the courthouse for an intimate wedding with her SVU team as witnesses.
"Carisi and I were talking and we realized marriage is a lot like a crime. We have motive and opportunity," Rollins said on the show. "We didn’t want to do this without any of you here."
Despite the character getting her happy ending, Law and Order: SVU fans didn't feel as thrilled about Kelli leaving the series for good. After of her final appearance on Thursday night, they turned to social media distressed about the fan-favorite character leaving the hit franchise.
"I am so ugly crying now for something that didn't need to happen," one person wrote on Twitter. "This is so sad and not what the viewers want but I guess we don’t matter anymore," another added. "I will never forgive @WolfEnt for getting rid of Kelli. #KelliDeservesBetter," a different fan said.
Though many were upset over Rollins' storyline coming to an end and Kelli's final bow, the actress had her own words to share about her time on Law and Order: SVU. Posting a series of photos from her tenure to Instagram, she summed up her feelings in one simple sentence.
"To everyone who supported Rollins – THANK YOU!" she wrote shortly after her last episode aired.
As for how the hit drama plans to fully segue Rollins out of the show, that's still to be determined. But one thing is for sure: come the January 5 midseason premiere, folks are about to see a different Law and Order: SVU.
As the entertainment and news editorial assistant for Good Housekeeping, Adrianna (she/her) writes about everything TV, movies, music and pop culture. She graduated from Yeshiva University with a B.A. in journalism and a minor in business management. She covers shows like The Rookie, 9-1-1 and Grey's Anatomy, though when she’s not watching the latest show on Netflix, she’s taking martial arts or drinking way too much coffee.
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