Fans React To Kelli Giddish's Exit From 'Law & Order: SVU' After 12 Years

Kelli Giddish is closing the curtains on her NYPD Detective Amanda Rollins character on "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit."

The actress, who joined the drama series in its 13th season, announced her plans to leave the show after its current season. She, however, avoided detailing any plans she might have for her future as a television, stage, and film actress. Her departure from the show has spurred an outburst from fans who have followed it since its inception.

The 24th season of "Law & Order: SVU" will be the last for Giddish, who informed her followers that she would bow out of the show after over a decade. To this end, the 42-year-old sent PEOPLE an exclusive statement where she said:

"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 continued that playing Rollins has been "one of the greatest joys and privileges" of her life, and she has been "so fortunate to be a part of the Law & Order family for the last 12 years." Adding that there was just "no other character on TV like Rollins," who has grown and changed.

After noting that she joined the prestigious show in her late 20s, Giddish appreciated people who helped her "Law & Order" career. In the mother-of-two's words, "I want to thank Dick Wolf, Mariska Hargitay, Peter Jankowski, NBC, Universal Television, all of my co-stars, every single member on the crew, and all the writers here for our incredible work together these last 12 years."

Giddish concluded her lengthy statement by sharing her excitement about using all she learned from SVU in new ventures.

Barely 24 hours after the news broke, fans took to Twitter to express their displeasure at her departure, with one user writing, "Very disappointing to hear this….it won't be the same without her. I was really liking the direction that the show was taking with Rollins and Carisi."

Another person asked fans to "take a moment and consider" how far Giddish's character had come from "the 'newbie' who came from GA...through gambling & the craziness with her sister...the birth of two beautiful daughters & her Love with Dominick."

A third viewer expressed that it was "extremely sad and completely pointless" and she could not come up with a "good reason to build not only a romance but also a strong female friendship w the potential to show positive healing for then to write the character off." [SIC]

Another Twitter user added, "I really hope you are giving her the best end for a character ever! Amanda Rollins deserves it, and she deserves her happy ending!" and a fifth tagged Giddish with the message that she was "one of the baddest female cops on the show."

Meanwhile, one "SVU" fan quickly accepted the inevitable and wrote, "Nooooooo! I love Kelly! She was my second favorite! I am really sad about this, but of course, I wish her the best [sad face and purple heart emojis]."

The "Law & Order: SVU" family — cast, viewers, and fans — suffered a massive loss in February when one of its stars, Ned Eisenberg, passed away. The actor died after a brief battle with two rare forms of cancer — cholangiocarcinoma and ocular melanoma — per The Blast.

According to cancer.gov, cholangiocarcinoma is 'bile duct cancer' — a rare disease where cancer cells form in the bile ducts. As for ocular melanoma, it is eye cancer, the most common primary cancer of the eye in adults. Eisenberg's wife, Patricia, broke the news of his death with a statement where she wrote:

"Over the course of two years, he bravely fought the cancers in private while continuing to work in show business to ensure that his medical coverage paid for himself and his family."

Eisenberg played the character Roger Kressler on "Law & Order: SVU." Even though he was a regular supporting character on the show, he was a fan favorite who earned the occasional spot on the original "Law & Order" show. The late 65-year-old, born and raised in New York City, landed his first Hollywood film in 1980. He featured in several massive projects like "Million Dollar Baby," "Flags of Our Fathers," "Last Man Standing," and "Limitless."