“I’m so thrilled to be back” - Kelli Giddish opens up about returning to Law & Order: Special Victims Unit as Amanda Rollins

Amanda Rollins has officially returned to Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. After exiting the crime drama in Season 24, Kelli Giddish is back to being a serial regular, as Rollins rejoined Olivia Benson’s team in the recently released episode, Clickbait.

Though Rollins made guest appearances in the show in the previous two seasons, fans were missing her contribution in solving cases and her friendship with Benson. Kelli Giddish has now opened up about her comeback on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 27.

In an interview with US Weekly, the actress said that she is excited to be back, especially at a time when the series has its first female showrunner in the form of Michele Fazekas. Giddish said:

“I’m so thrilled to be back. We’ve such great showrunners, such strong showrunners, but now, we’ve got Michele Fazekas. We’ve got girls running the show. It just makes it the perfect time for the audience to get to see Benson and Rollins’ relationship continue to grow.”

Kelli Giddish talks about Amanda Rollins’ return in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 27

During the interview, Kelli Giddish also talked about how she feels working again with Mariska Hargitay, who plays Olivia Benson. Opening up about how the set has a positive environment, she revealed:

“There are a lot of random hugs. We’re just like, ‘Oh, thank God.’ It’s been so lovely. Everybody on the crew says such kind words. They just exhale, and they’re like, ‘Oh, you’re back,’ That feels so good. We’re all happy to be there. We’re all very curious. We’re all committed to telling these stories, and it’s a lot of fun.

She added:

“I know it’s really a heavy load — the subject matter, and portraying what evil people do to other people — but we, as a cast and crew, it’s just a solid group of people, and it’s just a lot of fun to be there.”

Giddish joined Law & Order: Special Victims Unit in Season 13 and soon became a fan-favorite due to Rollins’ dynamics with Benson and her strong personality despite her troubled childhood. However, she left the squad in Season 24 to teach criminology at Fordham University, thinking she wanted a peaceful life.

But Rollins soon realized that chasing criminals and solving cases was actually her calling. As she missed the thrill, she joined the NYPD again as the Sergeant of the Intelligence Unit and sometimes worked with Olivia Benson’s team. Later, when the Intelligence Unit got a new leader, Rollins again started thinking about what she really wanted.

In Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 27 Episode 4, Chief Kathryn Tynan told Benson that Rollins might want to return to SVU. After taking some time to think, Rollins realized she missed her old squad and decided to come back. By the end of the episode, she walked into the SVU office again and was ready to work beside Benson like before.

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The 27th season of the police procedural drama premiered on September 25, 2025. Apart from Kelli Giddish and Mariska Hargitay, the show currently stars Ice-T as Sergeant Odafin "Fin" Tutuola, Kevin Kane as Detective Terry Bruno, Peter Scanavino as Assistant District Attorney Dominick "Sonny" Carisi, Jr., Aimé Donna Kelly as Captain Renee Curry, and Octavio Pisano as Detective Joe Velasco.

Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 27 airs new episodes on NBC on Thursdays.

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