Don’t mess with Sergeant Odafin Tutuola!
Ice-T rejected allegations that “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” had become too “woke” in recent seasons.
The 66-year-old rapper turned television star responded to a fan’s suggestion that “SVU” should “get back to normal” ahead of the crime drama’s record-breaking 26th season.
Ice-T has played Odafin “Fin” Tutuola since 2000 alongside the series’ lead actress, Mariska Hargitay, making him the second longest-running character on the show. The only star who has been on the show longer is Hargitay as Olivia Benson.
“Have they written SVU back to normal yet? It was starting to wake up,” one disgruntled viewer wrote on Tuesday on X, formerly Twitter.
Ice-T did not respond kindly to the criticism and countered: “What the fuck is woke? Lol. Like I care.”
The “Colors” rapper recently spoke about his role in the “special” series and admitted that he “hit the jackpot” with his spot on “Law & Order: SVU.”
“I find SVU is a special show because it is the first time I have done something where people are going out on the streets and saying thank you,” Ice-T told People in January. “And I found out that SVU is both entertainment and therapy for many women, because many of the women who watch the show are survivors – including men. So it gives a different feeling than normal entertainment.”
He was only hired for a few episodes. He later joked that it was “a four-part engagement that ended up lasting 25 years.”
The NBC show investigates sex crimes and features Hargitay, Ice-T, Peter Scanavino and Octavio Pisano.
The network announced in March that “SVU” had been renewed for season 26. The show was already named the longest-running primetime live-action series of all time and will retain that title even after the decision to renew.
Season 26 brings some cast changes.
Kelli Giddish, who played Detective Amanda Rollins from 2007 to 2024, will not return to the series. In July, Deadline confirmed that “Griselda” actress Juliana Aidén Martinez would join the crime drama as the new detective. Kevin Kane was also promoted from a supporting role to a series regular as Detective Terry Bruno.
Hargitay sparked a firestorm earlier this month when she posted a photo of the cast on set for the upcoming season. Fans were quick to notice that longtime regular Scanavino, who plays Assistant District Attorney Sonny Carisi, was absent from the snap. His absence sparked speculation that the upcoming season could see a split between the police and legal teams; however, it’s important to note that Scanavino’s return is confirmed.
The 26th season of “Law & Order: SVU” begins on Thursday, October 3 at 9 p.m. ET on NBC.
