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If you’re a regular viewer of NCIS: Los Angeles, you likely noticed one important character has been missing. Linda Hunt, the actress who plays Hetty Lange, has been absent from the show since late last year. Why has Hetty been missing from NCIS: Los Angeles? Here’s what we know.

Hetty briefly returned to NCIS: Los Angeles for Kensi and Deeks’ wedding

Hetty has been missing for all of season 10. However, she returned for season 10, episode 17, titled “Till Death Do Us Part,” so she could attend Kensi and Deeks’ wedding. She gave fans of the show a big surprise when she came crashing through a wall in a yellow car. A later scene revealed Hetty was not just a guest at the wedding but also the wedding officiant.

How NCIS: Los Angeles explained Hetty’s absence

Linda Hunt|Richard Cartwright/CBS via Getty Images
Linda Hunt|Richard Cartwright/CBS via Getty Images

So far, the show has kept the reason for Hetty’s absence a mystery. During Kensi and Deeks’ wedding reception, Callen and Hanna ask Hetty if she would like to tell them where she’s been, and she responds, “No, because I care about both of you, and some things are better left unshared.”

The real reason Hetty was missing from NCIS: Los Angeles

Linda Hunt| Paul Archuleta/FilmMagic
Linda Hunt| Paul Archuleta/FilmMagic

Linda Hunt, the actress who plays Hetty Lange, has a very good reason for being away from the NCIS: Los Angeles set. Last November, in a statement published by TV Line, Hunt revealed she was taking time away from the show to recover after being in a car accident.

I first want to say how much I appreciate the outpouring of support from the NCIS: Los Angeles fans following my car accident this summer. Though I had hoped to return to playing Hetty at the start of the season, I had to take some additional time to recover. I look forward to returning later this season.

Is Hetty leaving NCIS: Los Angeles for good?

Linda Hunt| Cliff Lipson/CBS via Getty Images
Linda Hunt| Cliff Lipson/CBS via Getty Images

Although Hunt says she looks forward to coming back, it’s unclear if she will be returning to the show as a permanent part of the cast or if she will just make occasional appearances, like the one she made at Kensi and Deeks’ wedding. There hasn’t been much information beyond the statement released in TV Line. Fans are hoping this isn’t the end of the road for Hetty, as she has become a fan favorite.

Ziva David made a surprise appearances on NCIS

Cote de Pablo as NCIS Special Agent Ziva David| Sonja Flemming/CBS via Getty Images
Cote de Pablo as NCIS Special Agent Ziva David| Sonja Flemming/CBS via Getty Images

Hetty isn’t the only character giving viewers a surprise. NCIS fans got the shock of their lives when it was suggested a character we thought was dead, Ziva David, might still be alive. Viewers were all understandably shocked when a note that appeared to be from Ziva was revealed that said: “Eleanor Bishop, for the safety of my family, please keep my secret.” This left fans with so many questions. Is Ziva really alive? Will she come back to the show as a recurring character? We’re still waiting patiently for the answers.

Read more: ‘NCIS: Los Angeles’: Are Kensi and Deeks Married in Real Life?

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