Don’t mess with Sergeant Odafin Tutuola!
Ice-T shot down accusations that “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” has become too “woke” in the recent seasons.
The 66-year-old rapper-turned-television star reacted to a fan who suggested that “SVU” should go “back to normal” ahead of the crime show’s record-breaking 26th season.
Ice-T has been playing Odafin “Fin” Tutuola alongside the series’ lead, Mariska Hargitay, since 2000, making him the second longest-running character in the show’s tenure. The only star who’s been there longer is Hargitay as Olivia Benson.
“Did they write SVU back to normal yet? It started to go woke,” one unhappy viewer wrote Tuesday on X, formerly Twitter.
Ice-T didn’t take kindly to the criticism, firing back, “What the F is woke? Lol. Like I give a f—.”
The “Colors” rapper recently spoke out about being part of the “special” series, admitting he “hit the jackpot” by landing a spot on “Law & Order: SVU.”
“I think SVU is a special show because it’s the first time I’ve ever done something where people walk up in the street and say thank you,” Ice-T told People in January. “And I found out that SVU is as much entertainment as it is therapy for a lot of women because a lot of women that watch the show are survivors — guys too. So it has a different feeling versus just normal entertainment.”
He was only hired to appear on a few episodes. He later joked it was “a four-episode stint that ended up 25 years.”
The NBC show investigates crimes of sexual nature, and features Hargitay, Ice-T, Peter Scanavino and Octavio Pisano.
The network announced that “SVU” was renewed for the 26th season in March. The show has already been crowned the longest-running primetime live-action series in history, and it will continue to hold the title after the renewal decision.
Season 26 comes with some cast shakeups.
Kelli Giddish, who played Detective Amanda Rollins from 2007-2024, will not return to the show. In July, Deadline confirmed that “Griselda” actress Juliana Aidén Martinez was joining the crime drama as a new detective. Kevin Kane was also upgraded from a minor character to a series regular as Detective Terry Bruno.
Hargitay ignited a firestorm earlier this month when she posted a photo of the cast on set for the upcoming season. Fans quickly noticed that longtime regular Scanavino, who plays assistant district attorney Sonny Carisi, wasn’t included in the snap. His absence sparked speculation that there might be some separation between the police department and legal team this upcoming season; however, it’s important to note that Scanavino is confirmed to return.
“Law & Order: SVU” Season 26 premieres Thursday, Oct. 3 at 9 p.m. ET on NBC.
