I'm genuinely gutted. I actually got nauseous thinking about it.
One of my first thoughts when I saw that Jesse was leaving was, "Why? He looked so happy in the BTS pics?!"
It's also really, really weird to me, like @morganupstead said, that Jesse and Kelli gave such utterly similar statements. They're literally two of the most popular Dick Wolf universe characters and parts of the most popular ships. I really don't think it was their decision to leave their respective shows.
The growth we've seen from Jay as a character is monumental. His character has brought so much to the show. Jesse has never had a single bad thing to say about the show or the cast. Quite the opposite, actually. He constantly raves about how much he loves it, so what the hell? The same can be said for Kelli/Rollins.
I pretty much stopped watching Grey's Anatomy after Alex left because of what they did to the character and how much the writing changed. Alex's character development was quite literally one of the best I've ever seen on TV. And the writers completely undid all of it with his exit.
I can't stomach the idea of something like that happening to Jay, after everything he's been through. He and Hailey just got married for God's fucking sake. If Tracy is staying and they're not going to have a surprise exit for her too, you best believe Jay better be alive and well off screen raising a family with Hailey. They sort of made it work with Brettsey, so they can do it again. At this point, as much as I absolutely love Tracy and having her on my screen, my ideal situation would be for would be for Hailey to leave with Jay.
Just for the love of fukcing all that is holy, make Jesse's exit respectful to Jay AND HAILEY. Don't fucking pull a Grey's Anatomy.
I started watching CPD back in season three, I think. I stopped because I hated Voight. I started again because of Upstead. I genuinely didn't realize how much Upstead had been tied into my brain. I read and write fics and watch edits when I need seratonin. They were always this constant that I had to look at after a bad day, and now this? And maybe that's not healthy, but it's true.
No hate whatsoever to Jesse. I wish the best for him. I just seriously don't think it's his idea to leave.
Mariska Hargitay was born and raised in Los Angeles, but when she answered a casting call for a new Law & Order show in 1999, the show would be filming in New York City. When she won the starring role, little did she know she'd be spending the next 25 years (and counting) working in the Big Apple. We've spoken to Hargitay many times over the course of the show, and she acknowledged that her work on SVU has changed her not only professionally, but also personally.
Law & Order: SVU airs Thursdays at 9/8c on NBC, and episodes start streaming the following day on Peacock.