Mariska Hargitay just returned to work on
Law & Order: SVU and now the buzz around set is that she may be leaving! NBC is reportedly considering replacing both Mariska and Chris Meloni on the show.
According to Entertainment Weekly, the threat is real, and is a result of the two actors wanting even more money than their current $350,000 an episode.
This comes one week after NBC renewed SVU for its 11th season. A network exec commented to EW saying, "I don't think in this environment, there's any chance they could re-launch the show with both of them gone. It's a horrible time to retool a show. They already have to change the time-slot, because it's not going to be airing at 10 pm next season."
An NBC insider added, "I can't imagine either actor walking away from over $7 million a year."
SVU would be a completely different show without its two main characters! Like we’ve said before, Mariska is half the reason people tune into the show in the first place. We hope this is just a rumor!
