Rocky Carroll’s long-running ‘NCIS’ character Leon Vance is dead (and that’s OK with him)

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It’s true: Rocky Carroll’s character, NCIS Director Leon Vance, passed away on Tuesday’s episode of “NCIS.” He had been a part of the CBS show for 18 out of its 23 seasons.

For Carroll, losing his role on the show was tough, as it meant his character was killed off and he was out of work. However, there were positives: the team successfully kept the plot twist under wraps for months, and he’d enjoyed a great run on a popular series.

In a recent interview with Variety, Carroll shared that he’s had time to process the news of his character’s death, which he learned about in November. He filmed his last scene on December 11th.

Television

Reaching its 500th episode – and including a significant character’s death – the show is now one of the longest-running scripted, live-action prime-time series in American television history.

He still couldn’t quite accept Vance’s death, especially since other characters who’ve left the show haven’t truly disappeared. When Mark Harmon, the show’s main star, left in 2021, his character Jethro Gibbs just retired to Alaska – he was gone, but with the possibility of returning. It wasn’t a permanent goodbye.

Vance questioned why they were making such a definitive decision about this character, asking, “If you wanted them gone, why not just transfer them to another location like everyone else?”

The show’s producers wanted to mark its 500th episode with something memorable, and decided it was time to kill off the character of Vance. His death wasn’t told in a straightforward way, but rather through a non-traditional, fragmented storyline. According to Screen Rant, it was the best character farewell the show had done in years, potentially even better than when Gibbs left.

Carroll was amazed they successfully kept Vance’s death a secret. He thought it was “pretty cool” that, despite the prevalence of social media, no one had leaked the news. He anticipated the reveal would be “a huge shock” for fans of the show, as only a very small group of people connected to “NCIS” knew about it before Tuesday night.

Entertainment & Arts

Pauley Perrette, known for her 15 seasons on the CBS drama “NCIS,” says she left the show due to repeated physical attacks that created an unsafe work environment.

Even though Gary Glasberg passed away, there are still seven new episodes of “NCIS” planned for this season, and the show will return for a 24th season. Director James Whitmore Jr. has worked on over twenty episodes since 2015 and was back filming in January, and he appears to be handling the situation with calm and composure.

Carroll shared with Variety that playing the same character on the show for 18 years feels like a remarkable achievement. Considering most Hollywood careers don’t last that long, it’s like having a 105-year life playing a single role on a hugely popular series.

I was so struck by what he said in the interview. He explained that after 18 years of being on such a huge show, he feels incredibly secure. He’s at a point where he could happily produce a play in a small Hollywood theater and truly enjoy it. He even called his time on the show the best ‘part-time job’ in Hollywood, and honestly, it’s hard to argue with that – he really doesn’t have much to complain about, and it’s inspiring to see his perspective.

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2026-03-25 22:31