Why Emily Wickersham's Ellie Bishop Left NCIS

As a core cast member, many have wondered why Emily Wickersham's Eleanor "Ellie" Bishop left NCIS. The character was on the massive police procedural series for eight seasons, joining the cast of NCIS in season 11 and leaving an indelible impression on the Major Case Response Team and its dedicated TV following. Ellie Bishop played a significant role in the series as one of the handful of NCIS special agents who comprised Gibbs' team. While Katrina Law's Jessica Knight character is an excellent replacement, Emily Wickersham's Eleanor Bishop left a hole in the shared NCIS universe when she left.

Many original NCIS Major Case Response Team members have parted ways with the series, which is how Emily Wickersham landed a spot on the NCIS cast. Wickersham's Ellie Bishop joined the series after Ziva David parted ways with the team, filling her position. Ziva was initially a replacement, too, joining the team as their Mossad liaison agent after Caitlin Todd's shocking NCIS death. As such, Wickersham's NCIS exit was nothing new, but the actor never gave a specific reason for leaving, as did her predecessors. However, the actor finally confirmed her reason for leaving NCIS three years later.

Emily Wickersham's Decision To Leave NCIS Explained

Emily Wickersham Left NCIS For Personal Reasons

While it was previously known that Emily Wickersham left NCIS for personal reasons, the actor opened up more about her decision to exit the series. Wickersham explained her NCIS exit on Off Duty: An NCIS Rewatch podcast, hosted by former NCIS stars Michael Weatherly and Cote de Pablo. On the podcast, the actor said, "I left the show, I found out I was pregnant a month later." Since Emily Wickersham posted about her pregnancy after her NCIS exit, it was initially assumed that she left the series because she was expecting. However, Wickersham's comments confirmed the incidents were a coincidence.

Still, the actor confirmed the general assumption of why Emily Wickersham left NCIS: it's because she was ready to move on. The actor didn't seem to have any bad blood with the series. Rather, Wickersham needed to move on after playing the same character for eight years. The reason is similar to why Tony DiNozzo's Michael Weatherly left NCIS. Emily Wickersham's interview confirmed that it wasn't that she had a baby, forcing her to leave the series. Instead, Wickersham was ready to leave the show, leaving her open to the possibility of motherhood when it was upon her.

How NCIS Season 18 Wrote Out Wickersham's Ellie Bishop

Ellie Bishop Leaked NSA Documents

Bishop's NCIS exit was a scandalous affair. After coming into contact with Odette Malone – a CIA agent who worked with Ziva on top-secret cases after she faked her death – Bishop left NCIS to work with Malone. However, Bishop had to discredit herself to facilitate her position with Malone and revealed that she leaked NSA documents and could no longer be an NCIS agent. Bishop's exit meant that her will-they-won't-they relationship with Nick Torres had to come to a halt, but she kissed Nick before leaving her old life behind, signaling her feelings for Torres were real.

What Emily Wickersham Has Done Since NCIS

Wickersham Has Left Acting & Loved To New York

After leaving NCIS in 2021, Emily Wickersham had a baby boy with her partner, James Badge Dale (The Pacific). The couple then got married in September 2024 and had a second child one month later. However, while Wickersham said she left NCIS for other opportunities, she hasn't had any acting roles since leaving the show and seems to have moved away from Hollywood, as she now has two young children with her new husband.

Before she joined NCIS in 2013, she appeared in small supporting roles in movies like Definitely, Maybe, Remember Me, and I Am Number Four. She had also previously appeared in The Sopranos and Gossip Girl but chose to step back and relax after several years on the show. Wickersham said in the podcast that she moved to New York and decided to get away from the hectic scheduling of television and move on to something else. The actress said that turned out to be her role as a mother.

Bishop Returned In NCIS Season 23

Eleanor Reunited With Her Old Team

Paramount Press Express

It had been so long since Bishop's unexpected exit from NCIS, when the procedural dropped the news that she was coming back during the 2025-2026 TV cycle. By then, MCRT and the rest of the agency were already towards the end of a painful transition that was brought about by her decision to leave and Mark Harmon's retirement as Leroy Jethro Gibbs. McGee and Torres were firmly rooted in their refreshed team, which included Jessica Knight and Alden Parker.

Bishop was deemed a traitor for the most part of NCIS season 23, episode 10, which was Wickersham's one-off comeback stint in the procedural. She was apparently framed by one of her trusted teammates, but instead of straightforwardly asking for help, she went on a more complicated route that made her reunion with MCRT more intense than it already was. Ultimately, her innocence was proven, but while that opened a path for her to return to NCIS, she decided to go back out on the field.

Interestingly, she invited Torres to join her new team, establishing that she still had feelings for him. Unfortunately for her and everyone who had been waiting for their reunion, Wilmer Valderrama's character turned down the offer, explaining that he belonged in Navy Yard, at least for now. This keeps the door open for their eventual reunion once the show ends or if the time comes that Torres wants out of being a member of Parker's MCRT.

Will Bishop Return To NCIS (& How?)

Special Agent Bishop Might Never Come Back, But Eleanor Might

Paramount Press

For now, there are no plans to bring back Bishop, and that totally makes sense. NCIS season 24 is already leaning on nostalgia with the return of Michael Weatherly's Tony Diniozzo, and that in itself presents so many narrative opportunities to tackle. The great thing is that now that any lingering animosity from the way Bishop left MCRT has been cleared, it would be fairly easier to bring her back in any capacity moving forward — assuming Wickersham is open to the idea.

Admittedly, the chances of Bishop reclaiming her old place as a proper member of MCRT are very small to none at this point. NCIS has moved on and in its history, it has never reinstated a returning character. Even Weatherly's Dinozzo will not be picking back up his Very Special Agent moniker in his comeback story. That said, considering how beloved Bishop was during her stint in the series, any time that she could be involved with MCRT will always be a great time for fans.

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  Sean Murray

  Timothy McGee

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  David McCallum

  Dr. Donald 'Ducky' Mallard

NCIS is a television series that follows a team of special agents from the Naval Criminal Investigative Service. Premiering in 2003, the show explores various cases involving Navy and Marine Corps personnel, ranging from murder and espionage to terrorism and stolen submarines.