Mariska Hargitay reveals when she thinks Benson, Stabler should be together
Mariska Hargitay, known for her role as Olivia Benson on “Law & Order: SVU,” has revealed when she believes Benson and Detective Elliot Stabler should get together.
Hargitay appeared on the June 25 episode of Alex Cooper’s “Call Her Daddy” podcast and talked about whether the duo will ever get together.
“Maybe on the last episode. I think that’s when they should be together,” she said. Hargitay and Chris Meloni, who portrays Stabler, have been close friends since the series started in 1999. When asked if she wants the characters to be together in the end, she told Cooper, “If it’s right. … We’ll see when we get there.”
Chris Meloni left ‘Law & Order: SVU’ after failed negotiations
In 2011, after the series’ 12th season, Meloni was forced to leave “SVU” after contract negotiations failed. “I was devastated,” Hargitay revealed on the podcast. She also said that the exit happened “very quickly” and was a surprise.
“I tried everything I could to fix it and change it,” she said. Eventually, in April 2021, Meloni brought Stabler back to the series. This led to the spinoff, “Law & Order: Organized Crime,” which just finished its fifth season at Peacock.
There have been multiple crossover episodes between “SVU” and “Organized Crime,” which have seen many scenes between Benson and Stabler. Hargitay told Cooper that Stabler and Benson are “soulmates, in a way.”
“Chris has had a profound impact on my life, my artistry. I think we’ve had a big impact on each other. And so, Olivia and Elliot are, but let’s see where the story takes us, you know?” Hargitay said.
Mariska Hargitay says she is ‘so close’ to Chris Meloni
Hargitay also spoke more about her relationship with Meloni over the years, saying they are “so close.”
“It’s like we’ve been through the battle together. We know each other so well. We love each other so much. We respect each other so much. We connected, obviously, by living these stories and going so deep together for so many years acting, and he and I really bond over comedy. We have a very similar sense of humor,” she explained.
-
NEW YORK, NY – MARCH 19: Christopher Meloni and Mariska Hargitay are seen on the set of ‘Law and Order: Special Victims Unit’ on March 19, 2025 in New York City. (Photo by Jose Perez/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images) -
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – FEBRUARY 16: Mariska Hargitay (L) and Christopher Meloni attend NBC’s “Law & Order” Press Junket at Studio 525 on February 16, 2022 in New York City. (Photo by Hippolyte Petit/WireImage) -
NEW YORK, NY – JANUARY 11: Actors Peter Scanavino, Kelli Giddish, Ice-T and Mariska Hargitay attend the TV Guide Celebrates Mariska Hargitay at Gansevoort Park Avenue on January 11, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by Nicholas Hunt/Getty Images) -
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – FEBRUARY 16: Mariska Hargitay (L) and Christopher Meloni attend NBC’s “Law & Order” Press Junket at Studio 525 on February 16, 2022 in New York City. (Photo by Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images) -
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – SEPTEMBER 12: 74th ANNUAL PRIMETIME EMMY AWARDS — Pictured: (l-r) Mariska Hargitay and Christopher Meloni speak on stage during the 74th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards held at the Microsoft Theater on September 12, 2022. — (Photo by Chris Haston/NBC via Getty Images) -
LAW & ORDER: SPECIAL VICTIMS UNIT — “Wolves in Sheep’s Clothing” Episode 22016 — Pictured: (l-r) Christopher Meloni as Detective Elliot Stabler, Mariska Hargitay as Captain Olivia Benson — (Photo by: Virginia Sherwood/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)
She also said that the duo are “so comfortable with each other” and “Whatever he needs, I will always be there for him, and that’s mutual.”
That respect was shown when Hargitay’s documentary about her mom, “My Mom Jayne,” premiered in June at the Tribeca Festival. Meloni was at the event with his wife and their daughter, and posted photos to Instagram with the caption, “Busy summer so far with celebration, friends, tv mom, ppl I love making films.”
One photo included Meloni, his wife, his daughter and two of Harigtay’s children. Hargitay commented on the post with a three-heart emoji.
Mariska Hargitay on finding out about biological father: ‘It was so rough’
Hargitay also spoke with Cooper about her personal life, including when she found out that the man she thought was her biological father, Mickey Hargitay, wasn’t. At 25 years old, Hargitay discovered that Nelson Sardelli was her biological father.
“It was so rough… I had been invited to this guy named Sabin Gray’s house, and he was head of the Jayne Mansfield fan club, and he was this lovely guy and just obsessed with Jayne [Hargitay’s mother] and loved her so much…”
While showing her photos of her mother, Gray asked if she wanted to see a photo of Sardelli, and Hargitay said, “This jolt went through my body, and I said, ‘Who’s Nelson?’ and then I knew in one second… on a cellular level, it was just like DNA talking to DNA.”
Hargitay revealed during the podcast that she isn’t sure if Mickey Hargitay, who died in 2006, knew about Sardelli: “I don’t know. I’ll never know. … He made a choice, and that was his new truth, and whether it’s true or not, emotionally, it was his truth.”
Mariska Hargitay looks back on Taylor Swift’s ‘Bad Blood’ music video
Hargitay also looked back at her time on the set of Taylor Swift’s “Bad Blood” music video from 2015. The video included cameos from Selena Gomez, Lena Dunham, Gigi Hadid, Hayley Williams, Hailee Steinfeld, Ellen Pompeo and more.
“It was so fun. It’s the best music video,” Hargitay told Cooper.
She also said she loved joining the cast during the MTV Video Awards in 2015. She said, “That was the most fun, being in the squad with all the cool girls and supermodels. It was the most fun ever.”