Kelli Giddish shared a loving goodbye to her costars on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit on Thursday, hours before her final episode was set to air.
The 42-year-old actress, who has played Detective Amanda Rollins for 11 years, posted a slideshow of photos with the crime show’s lineup of stars, including lead Mariska Hargitay and Ice-T.
Giddish was set to get a grand send off with what appeared to be a wedding for her character to Assistant District Attorney Dominick Carisi Jr. (Peter Scanavino), according to recent previews.
The actress opened her posts with a sweet black-and-white photo of herself as she and Hargitay hugged on a park bench.
Kelli Giddish, 42, bid farewell to her Law & Order: SVU costars with a sweet Instagram post as she marked her final episode of the show on Thursday, after 11 years in the cast
She beamed ear-to-ear, while Hargitay looked emotional and kept her eyes close.
‘To everyone who supported Rollins — THANK YOU!’ Giddish captioned her post.
She gave her 487K followers a rundown of her costars, including rapper-turned-actor Ice-T.
He grinned ear-to-ear in a closeup with Giddish, which was snapped while they were in costume and wearing bullet-proof vests.
Giving thanks: ‘To everyone who supported Rollins — THANK YOU!’ Giddish captioned her post; seen with Ice-T
Work friends: She shared several photos featuring costars Mariska Hargitay, Ice-T and Peter Scanavino, whose character she was set to marry on her final episode
They were joined by Mariska and Scanavino in another joyous closeup, while an older photo showed more of the cast.
Giddish, Hargitay and Scanavino lined up with Peter Gallagher who played Deputy Chief William Dodds, and Raúl Esparza, who appears as ADA Rafael Barba.
The departing actress also included a more casual snap with Scanavino, who posed next to her while dressed in a Ramones T-shirt.
Stacked lineup: An older photo showed more of the cast. Giddish, Hargitay and Scanavino lined up with Peter Gallagher who played Deputy Chief William Dodds, and Raúl Esparza, who appears as ADA Rafael Barba
Off work: The departing actress also included a more casual snap with Scanavino, who posed next to her while dressed in a Ramones T-shirt
Several of the photos were clearly taken at the height of the pandemic.
One playful snap showed both Giddish and Hargitay in lovely sundresses on set, with both covering their faces with masks.
Giddish looked as if she was going over her lines with one of her costars in another picture that was snapped off an on-set monitor.
Hargitay made sure to share her admiration for her departing friend in the comments.
‘I love you lady. Now and forever! XOXO,’ she wrote.
Lovely: Several of the photos were clearly taken at the height of the pandemic. One playful snap showed both Giddish and Hargitay in sundresses on set, with both covering their faces with masks
Hard at work: Giddish looked as if she was going over her lines with one of her costars in another picture that was snapped off an on-set monitor
Sweet: Hargitay made sure to share her admiration for her departing friend in the comments. ‘I love you lady. Now and forever! XOXO,’ she wrote
Previews for Thursday night’s episode indicated that it would feature a wedding to send off the actress.
In stills from NBC, Giddish could be seen in a lovely white dress as her character had what looked like a courthouse wedding.
The satin dress featured long, puffy sleeves and a raised collar with a modest skirt that reaches down to her ankles.
Scanavino looked dapper with a navy blue three-piece suit.
The on-screen wedding may have been a rushed affair, as Hargitay, Ice-T and Jr. and Octavio Pisano, who plays Detective Joe Velasco, were all dressed casually.
On-screen wedding: Giddish’s character appeared to tie the knot with Sanavino’s District Attorney Dominick Carisi Jr. (by her side) in Thursday’s episode of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
Woman in white: In stills from NBC, Giddish could be seen in a lovely white dress as her character had what looked like a courthouse wedding
No fuss: The on-screen wedding may have been a rushed affair, as Hargitay, Ice-T and Jr. and Octavio Pisano, who plays Detective Joe Velasco, were all dressed casually; Scanavino pictured
Hargitay’s character seemed particularly moved by the ceremony, as she placed her hand on her chest and looked as if she was about to tear up.
The episode’s holiday-themed title, And A Trauma In A Pear Tree, hinted at a possibly dark conclusions to Giddish’s storyline, while she and her future husband are said to be collaborating on an ‘important arraignment.’
The outlet noted that fans have speculated that Detective Rollins might bind herself to ADA Carisi’s family by adopting his two young daughters after the apparent wedding, though some also thought the courthouse setting might just be to initiate a domestic partnership.
The apparent nuptials haven’t exactly been a secret though, as NBC hinted at them in earlier promos that showed short clips of Giddish in the white dress, along with Hargitay’s character hugging her.
Saying goodbye; Hargitay’s character seemed particularly moved by the ceremony, and she was previously seen saying goodby to Rollins. Giddish announced in August that this would be the end of her time on the show
Party time: A shot from a recent Twitter promo shows Giddish and Scanavino gazing lovingly at each other while surrounded by a party of well wishers at a bar, which seems to be a reception for them
Another blink-and-you’ll-miss-it shot from a more recent Twitter promo shows Giddish and Scanavino gazing lovingly into each other’s eyes while surrounded by a party of well wishers in a restaurant with a well-stocked bar, which seems to be a reception for the couple.
Giddish announced in August that she would be departing the long-running show, which debuted way back in 1999.
‘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,’ she said in a statement to People at the time.
‘Playing Rollins has been one of the greatest joys and privileges of my life,’ she continued. ‘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,’ she concluded.
Moving on: The cast is sending off Giddish in style after 11 years on the show; Mariska Hargitay and Ice-T pictured