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Tony DiNozzo in a newsroom
Image courtesy CBS

When & Why Michael Weatherly’s Tony DiNozzo Left NCIS

One of the original and longest-running characters in NCIS is Tony DiNozzo, played by Michael Weatherly. However, DiNozzo has not been a part of the enormously successful CBS crime procedural series for years. Hereā€™s when and why Tony DiNozzo left NCIS and when heā€™s expected back to the franchise.

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When Michael Weatherlyā€™s Tony DiNozzo Left NCIS

Tony and Ziva stand next to each other in a plane
Image courtesy CBS

Tony DiNozzoā€™s final appearance as a series regular on NCIS is in the Season 13 finale, ā€œFamily First,ā€ where he learns that his former partner ā€“ both professionally and romantically – Ziva David was apparently killed in a bombing. As Tony grieves the loss of his lover and colleague, Mossad director Orli Elbaz informs him that Tony fathered a daughter with Ziva, whom he never knew about, named Tali. Determined to raise Tali as a single father, Tony resigns from the Naval Criminal Investigative Service to focus on being a dad while contemplating a global search for Ziva, believing her to secretly still be alive as her body was never found.

After Tonyā€™s departure from NCIS as a series regular in 2016, Weatherly reprised the role in the Season 21 episode ā€œThe Stories We Leave Behind.ā€ The 2024 episode revolved around the passing of longtime NCIS character Ducky Mallard, reflecting the actual death of Duckyā€™s actor David McCallum. In the episode, Tony returns to pay his respects to Ducky and offers words of wisdom to the current team before returning to care for his daughter.

Related: Why Was NCIS: Hawaiā€™i Cancelled?

Why Michael Weatherlyā€™s Tony DiNozzo Left NCIS

Tony DiNozzo grimaces in NCIS headquarters
Image courtesy CBS

The reason behind Weatherlyā€™s departure from NCIS is, as one can imagine, far less dramatic than why DiNozzo ultimately left his team. After 13 seasons of starring on the same show, playing the same character, Weatherly was looking for a new direction to take his career. By all public accounts, Weatherlyā€™s decision not to return to NCIS after Season 13 was an amicable one as Weatherly moved to star in a different CBS series, Bull, which ran for six seasons from 2016 to 2022.

Fortunately, NCIS fans have not seen the last of Tony DiNozzo or Weatherly in his most iconic role. The same month that Weatherly reprised his role as Tony in NCIS Season 21, it was announced that Weatherly and co-star Cote de Pablo would reprise their roles as Tony and Ziva, respectively, in a new NCIS spinoff series. Currently untitled, the spinoff began principal photography in June 2024, telling the continuing adventures of Tony and Ziva, with their daughter Tali.

And that’s why and when Michael Weatherly’s Tony DiNozzo left NCIS.


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Author
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Sam Stone
Sam Stone is a longtime entertainment news journalist and columnist, covering everything from movies and television to video games and comic books. Sam also has bylines at CBR, Popverse, Den of Geek, GamesRadar+, and Marvel.com. He's been a freelance contributor with The Escapist since October 2023, during which time he's covered Mortal Kombat, Star Trek, and various other properties. Sam remembers what restful sleep was. But that was a long time ago.