Celebrity / TV

‘NCIS: Los Angeles’: What Linda Hunt Said About Leaving the Show

After “NCIS: Los Angeles” season 11, episode 11, aired (titled “Answers”), viewers are wondering if Linda Hunt is preparing to leave the show for good. Here’s what Hunt once said about leaving “NCIS: Los Angeles.” Is Linda Hunt leaving ‘NCIS: Los Angeles’? During “NCIS: Los Angeles” season 11, episode 11, the agents had an unexpected …

by Sheiresa Ngo

Published on December 22, 2019

2 min read

Is Linda Hunt leaving ‘NCIS: Los Angeles’?

Linda Hunt NCIS | Bill Inoshita/CBS via Getty Images

During “NCIS: Los Angeles” season 11, episode 11, the agents had an unexpected conversation about the possibility of Hetty retiring from the agency. Kensi was the first to bring up the tough topic. “I have a question. Do you think Hetty is going to retire from NCIS?” asked Kensi. Sam said Hetty will have to retire eventually, but he then asks Kensi where this question is coming from. Kensi points out Hetty has been coming in late and leaving early. She’s also been working from home more. The camera then cuts to Deeks, who seems to agree with Kensi’s observation.

Linda Hunt | Bill Inoshita/CBS via Getty Images

Callen seems to be in denial about Hetty’s impending retirement. He jumped in and said Hetty just isn’t a “9-to-5 kind of person.” Kensi said she noticed that Hetty is slowing down. However, Callen just doesn’t want to face the music. “She is strong. She wants to be here. She’s not going anywhere. OK?” says Callen, who doesn’t seem to want to discuss the issue.

This scene appeared to set up Hunt’s eventual retirement from the show. The actress will be 75 years old this April, so it wouldn’t be a big surprise if she was thinking about leaving at this point.

What Linda Hunt said about leaving ‘NCIS: Los Angeles’

How does Hunt feel about the possibility of her time on “NCIS: Los Angeles” coming to an end? During a 2013 interview with “CBS Sunday Morning” host Lee Cowan, Hunt gave an honest answer about her future with the show. She told Cowan that she doesn’t mind her tenure ending eventually. It’s something she welcomes with open arms. “I look forward to a time when I don’t have to work anymore,” Hunt said. “Which is close at hand, I think.” Apparently, Hunt has been thinking about this for some time now. Will “NCIS” season 11 be her last?

Linda Hunt left ‘NCIS: Los Angeles’ before

Whenever Hunt decides to leave “NCIS: Los Angeles,” this won’t be the first time she exits the show. She took a leave of absence back in 2018 after being injured in a car accident. Last November, in a statement published by “TV Line,” Hunt revealed she was taking time away from the show to recover after her 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.