Why did Ellie Bishop leave the NCIS? Explained

The 22nd season of the police procedural series NCIS premiered on October 14, 2024. The CBS show follows a team of special agents - the Major Case Response Team (MCRT), investigating crimes involving the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps. The show first premiered in 2003 and combines themes of crime thrillers and military investigation.

Ellie Bishop, played by Emily Wickersham, was a part of the show from season 11 to season 18, first as an NSA analyst and then as part of the MCRT.

Ellie left the agency after she framed herself for leaking NSA documents so she could cut ties with NCIS and be a part of an undercover mission. Wickersham attributed her departure from the show's season 18 in 2021 to personal reasons.

Donald P. Bellisario and Don McGill created the show, which has had several spin-offs in the past decade, like NCIS: Los Angeles and NCIS: New Orleans. It is known for its blend of humor, drama, and action, making it the seventh-longest-running scripted US prime-time TV series.

---

What was the reason behind Ellie Bishop's departure from NCIS?

Wickersham at CBS Television Studios' Summer Soiree (Image via Getty)

In her storyline, Bishop left the agency as she was involved in a deep-cover operation and had to go undercover with Odette Malone (Elayn J. Taylor). Towards the end of season 18, it was revealed that, as part of a covert mission years ago, Bishop had purposefully leaked classified NSA documents.

Due to this breach, Bishop quit the organization. This allowed her to go undercover, but not without leaving all her colleagues, except Torres, in the dark about the truth.

Off-screen, Emily Wickersham announced that she decided to leave the series to pursue personal endeavors. She did not elaborate on her future plans. The open-ended nature of Bishop's storyline left the fans hoping for a future return of the character.

She expressed gratitude for her nearly eight-year run on the show in an Instagram post with the caption stating that it had been a "great ride." Emily stated that she had "the pleasure of working" with a "top notch" cast and crew on the show for eight years and 172 episodes.

"This business is finicky and weird and consistency is a rarity. I’ve been lucky enough to be a part of a show where I got to show up and act and laugh and learn with wonderful people. A moment in time I surely won’t forget. Thank you CBS and NCIS for including me in a part of television history. Time goes fast. Eat it up but chew slowly,️❤️ " the actress wrote.

---

Wickersham talks about leaving NCIS

Three years after the end of season 18, Emily Wickersham officially opened up about the character's departure from the show for the first time. She talked about her reasons in Off Duty: An NCIS Rewatch, a podcast hosted by recurring actors of the franchise—Cote de Pablo and Michael Weatherly.

Wickersham said that at the time, she wanted to focus more on her endeavors, and there were no hard feelings with her co-stars or the production.

She emphasized that the show was "all-consuming," and she realized that she was ready to move on from that after eight long years. She added that the cast's "life is all NCIS" while filming it and they aren't left with enough time "to do things outside of that."

"It’s all day, every day, and you're not really left with much time to do many things outside of that. So that was a real adjustment for me," Wickersham added.

The actress also revealed that she found out she was pregnant a month after leaving the show, and shortly after that, she decided to move to New York with her boyfriend. So, for her, the timing of her departure fell in line with her priorities at the time, and that is why she feels she made the right decision by moving on from the series.

---

Catch the latest season of NCIS on Paramount+.