Mariska Hargitay Says It ‘Feels So Good’ to Reunite with Kelli Giddish on Law & Order: SVU: ‘Dynamic Duo’

Harigitay confirmed that Giddish would be returning for season 25 after leaving the series midway through season 24 in 2022

Kelli Giddish and Mariska Hargitay are seen on the set of “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” on April 02, 2024 in New York City.

Mariska Hargitay is beyond excited to reunite with Kelli Giddish once again!
In a photo shared to her Instagram account on April 2, the Law & Order: SVU lead, 60, gave fans some insight into her on-set reunion with Giddish, 43.

Hargitay, who plays Olivia Benson, could be seen wearing a black overcoat and a police badge on her belt as she excitedly posed next to Giddish with her script in the air and a big smile on her face. Meanwhile, Giddish, who was fashioned as her character Amanda Rollins, wore blue jeans, a cream-colored sweater and a matching overcoat. She smiled in the photo next to her costar.

“#Reunited and it feels so good!” Hargitay wrote in the caption of her post, before adding the hashtags, “#MeAndMyGirl #raindropskeepfallingonmyhead #DynamicDuo #GirlPower #LadyBosses #FierceFriendship #Svu25.”

Mariska Hargitay Calls Kelli Giddish a ‘Lifelong Friend’ Ahead of ‘Law & Order: SVU’ Exit
In August 2022, PEOPLE confirmed that Giddish would be leaving Law & Order: SVU in season 24.

“Playing Rollins has been one of the greatest joys and privileges of my life,” she wrote in a statement at the time. “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.”

The actress left the series midway through season 24 in December of the same year. However, she returned for a cameo in the season finale, which was part of a crossover with Law & Order and Law & Order: Organized Crime.

In the episode, Rollins was pregnant and expecting her first child with Assistant District Attorney Dominick Carisi (Peter Scanavino). She stepped away from the SVU squad after accepting a job as a criminology professor at Fordham University.

LAW & ORDER: SPECIAL VICTIMS UNIT — “Mirror Effect” Episode 24002 — Pictured: (l-r) Kelli Giddish as Det. Amanda Rollins, Mariska Hargitay as Capt. Olivia Benson

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Once her final episode aired, Giddish spoke exclusively to PEOPLE about her bittersweet exit.

“It’s funny because, after last night’s show, it does feel more final now. I didn’t expect today to feel that way,” she explained. “Now it’s over and everyone’s seen it. Everyone’s gotten to experience it and feel all the feels that I felt, filming that last scene with Mariska.”

Last November, Hargitay confirmed that Giddish would be reprising her role in season 25 when she posted an Instagram video of the pair dancing to Paul Russell’s track “Lil Boo Thang” after TVLine reported the news earlier that week.

“Back with my lil boo thang,” Hargitay captioned a photo where the two were dressed similar to their characters.

NBC, the network that airs the long-running scripted crime drama, commented under the post, “This is everything to me rn.”

According to the network, Giddish’s return is set to air in episode 11 of season 25.

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