<p>-
- "Law & Order: SVU" star Ice-T supports Benson & Stabler hookup: 'I've been telling them to get a room for a long time'</p>
<p>Ryan ColemanAugust 31, 2025 at 5:00 PM</p>
<p>Virginia Sherwood/PEACOCK</p>
<p>Mariska Hargitay and Christopher Meloni on 'Law & Order: Organized Crime' in 2025</p>
<p>Despite their legendary sexual tension and the lore to back it up, it seems as though Mariska Hargitay and Christopher Meloni's Law & Order: Special Victims Unit characters may never actually hook up. But their costar Ice-T thinks that enough is finally enough.</p>
<p>"I don't know, that's just the show. I don't know what's going on. But I've been telling them to get a room for a long time," he tells Entertainment Weekly.</p>
<p>Hargitay and Meloni co-launched the series in 1999, and their characters, the hard-boiled yet compassionate Capt. Olivia Benson (Hargitay) and the hot-headed yet righteous Sr. Det. Elliot Stabler (Meloni), had palpable chemistry from their very first minutes on screen together. Twelve seasons as costars later and another dozen years appearing in cameos on each other's series (Meloni left SVU in 2011, but returned the franchise in 2021 with his own spinoff, Law & Order: Organized Crime), and the pair still haven't so much as kissed.</p>
<p>Will Hart/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty</p>
<p>Ice-T and Christopher Meloni on 'Law & Order: SVU' in 2008</p>
<p>Though Ice-T is all for Bensler fans getting what they've craved for decades, he also gently suggests a reality check.</p>
<p>"News blast, it's not real! There are writers behind it," he reminds fans. "People always say, 'You should have done this. You should have done this.' I'm like, I can only say the words they put in my mouth. I can say it my way, I can give it my flavor. But we're going for a ride along with them."</p>
<p>That doesn't mean there's no hope for the pair hooking up, but Ice-T does point out yet another roadblock to their consummation.</p>
<p>"Now, Mariska is a producer on the show, and she's also directed a few. She's not a writer, but she has a lot of power, so she's kind of steering the boat," he says, indicating that if Hargitay wanted it to happen, she might be able to make it so. On the other hand, "I don't know if [producer] Dick Wolf wants them to ever hook up. Maybe he just wants to keep dangling that carrot. Keep the seasons coming in."</p>
<p>It's been so long since Benson and Stabler's sparks first flew that their never doing anything about it has prompted plenty of questions over the years.</p>
<p>Meloni broke down the reasons why a recently planned kiss on SVU was ultimately axed, saying vaguely, "We were attempting something. I don't think it worked. But I'm not going to tell you why it didn't work, because you all have your opinion."</p>
<p>Sign up for Entertainment Weekly's free daily newsletter to get breaking TV news, exclusive first looks, recaps, reviews, interviews with your favorite stars, and more.</p>
<p>The actor also echoed Ice-T's reminder that actors "don't have that power" - even if they also serve as directors and executive producers.</p>
<p>Still, Meloni joked to a fan in a recent social media post that he's "f---ing trying" to get Benson and Stabler to hook up.</p>
<p>Peter Kramer/NBC</p>
<p>Ice-T and Mariska Hargitay on 'Law & Order: SVU' in 2025</p>
<p>For her part, Hargitay referred to Benson and Stabler as "soulmates, in a way" in a June interview.</p>
<p>"Chris has had a profound impact on my life, my artistry. I think we've had a big impact on each other, and so Olivia and Elliot are [soulmates]. But let's see where the story takes us," she diplomatically explained. But even Hargitay couldn't help but express hope that "maybe on the last episode... I think that's when they should be together."</p>
<p>Law & Order: Special Victims Unit returns for season 27 on Sept. 25 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on NBC.</p>
<p>on Entertainment Weekly</p>
<a href="https://data852.click/5a32cd58501e613bf372/ee0a75caf0/?placementName=default" class="dirlink-1">Original Article on Source</a>
Source: "AOL Entertainment"
Source: AsherMag
Full Article on Source: Astro Blog
#LALifestyle #USCelebrities