For the last 27 years, rapper-turned-actor Ice-T has been a key part of the “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” cast. But with the premiere of the hit drama’s 27th season kicking off, fans quickly started to notice the actor’s absence from the show. Now, Ice-T is telling folks to chill out– no pun intended.
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The rapper, who plays Sgt. Odafin “Fin” Tutuola, has only appeared in four out of the eight episodes released so far this season. TMZ caught up to him recently, and he explained exactly what’s going on behind the scenes.
Ice-T chalked his absence up to “basically business.” The 27th season also reintroduced actress Kelli Giddish, who played Sgt. Amanda Rollins for 13 seasons before her character was written off back in 2022. According to Ice-T, having both him and Giddish on this season was simply too much for the budget this year.
“They brought Kelli back. At the end of the day, they couldn’t keep both of us on both times, as far as budget-wise,” he told TMZ. But the “O.G. Original Gangster” rapper confirmed he has no plans to leave the show. “They said, ‘Ice, we’ll have you come in and out this year,’” he continued. “Everybody wanted Kelli back. We have new cops.”
But just because the actor is content right now doesn’t mean he’s not concerned about his future on the series. He’s been on “Law & Order” longer than most of the cast. In fact, the only actor who’s been there longer than him is Mariska Hargitay herself— the face of the drama series as Detective Olivia Benson. “Everything was cool with me. I understood,” Ice-T continued. “I said, ‘Are you getting rid of me?’ They said, ‘No way. We can’t imagine ‘Law and Order’ without you.’”
It’s true the show probably wouldn’t be the same without the “Colors” rapper. “I am not going to say anything negative about this show. They have taken care of me for so long. I’m trying to get to Season 28,” he added to TMZ.
After Ice-T defended the show and told fans not to worry, many viewers took to social media to defend him. “I want Benson, Stabler, and Tutuola back as my Big 3 I’m sorry fire all these other mfers on god,” another user, @ASamantha wrote on X.
“…To even think that one of the people who BUILT the show has to take a back seat for someone else is actually ridiculous. As someone who has been watching since a kid that’s really disappointing,” @oblivionlys tweeted. “Mariska and Ice T are Law and Order SVU, the show would be nothing without them”
@KpLOVELY3 agreed saying, “HE’S THE BEST PART OF THE SHOW. HE CAN’T LEAVE UNTIL IT’S OFFICIALLY CANCELED.”
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