Is Bishop Leaving ‘NCIS’? Emily Wickersham Speaks Out After Season 18 Finale

Martin Holmes May 26, 2021

Emily Wickersham as Ellie Bishop in NCIS — Eddy Chen/CBS

NCIS fans could be saying goodbye to another series regular as Emily Wickersham appears to have departed the show for good following Tuesday’s Season 18 finale.

In the explosive season-ender, it was revealed that Wickersham’s character Ellie Bishop had leaked a confidential National Security Agency file a decade ago. However, it later came out that ex-CIA instructor Odette Malone (Elayn J. Taylor) — who has been training her — had intentionally planted the file to be discovered so that Bishop could go on an undercover mission as a disgraced NCIS agent. Bishop even gave a goodbye kiss to her partner Nick Torres (Wilmer Valderrama) before exiting.

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Following the finale, Wickersham took to Instagram, seemingly confirming that she will no longer be part of future NCIS seasons. “Hangin’ this hat and jacket up. What a great ride it’s been,” the Sopranos alum captioned a photo of herself in her NCIS gear.

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She continued: “This cast, this crew, are top notch. I can’t say enough kind words about this group that I’ve had the pleasure of working with for close to 8 years now and 172 episodes later. This business is finicky and weird and consistency is a rarity. I’ve been lucky enough to be a part of a show where I got to show up and act and laugh and learn with wonderful people. A moment in time I surely won’t forget.

Wickersham joined the long-running police procedural in Season 11 back in 2013 and had become the show’s longest-tenured female star. That crown now goes to Diona Reasonover, who plays Forensic Scientist Kasie Hines in the CBS drama, who commented on her co-star’s farewell post, writing, “Thank you for everything, friend.”

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Fellow co-star Brian Dietzen, who plays Chief Medical Examiner Jimmy Palmer, also commented on the post, stating, “So damn proud of you my friend. Also, I’m gonna miss the hell outta you on set. I can’t wait to see what you do next. Whatever it is, I’ll be there in the front row. Thank you.”

Wickersham is the latest series regular to leave NCIS following Jack Sloane’s (played by Maria Bello) exit earlier this season. There have also been rumors that Mark Harmon, who plays Leroy Jethro Gibbs, may be leaving the show or reducing his role.