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 had 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.
