NCIS exec producer Gary Glasberg has extended an olive branch to inconsolable acolytes of departing leading lady Cote de Pablo, promising “amazing resolution” for her character Ziva that will qualify as “a moment in television history.”

In an open letter to fans, Glasberg conceded that De Pablo’s decision to exit after a decade “was a shock to everybody,” but added, “Change happens. Writers move on. Actors move on. Life, for some, interferes with work and then we rise to the occasion and adapt. Very often extraordinary creativity comes out of adjustment. And so we find ourselves not dwelling on the past, but eager to guide you into the future of NCIS.”

And that future includes Ziva’s swan song, a two-episode send-off that kicks off with the show’s Season 11 premiere on Sept. 24. “The amazing resolution you’re going to see is pretty damn heart-wrenching and we’re incredibly proud of it,” he wrote. “Prepare yourselves for a moment in television history. Images that will end up in the archives. I couldn’t be happier with how my NCIS family stepped up and did some of the most emotional work we’ve ever done.”

CBS Boss Addresses Cote de Pablo's NCIS Exit: 'We Offered Her a Lot of Money'

CBS didn’t let NCIS leading lady Cote de Pablo go without a fight.

“I really want to clarify: We offered Cote de Pablo a lot of money — and then we offered her even more money,” CBS Corp. president and CEO Les Moonves shared Monday morning at the Television Critics Assoc. summer press tour in Beverly Hills. “We really didn’t want to lose her, we love her. We think she’s terrific. We obviously were in discussions… and ultimately she decided she didn’t want to do the show. It was her decision. We don’t like losing anybody. We did everything humanly possible [and] exhausted every opportunity, and she just decided she didn’t want to do the show.”


News of de Pablo’s imminent exit from TV’s most watched drama came on July 10, barely a week before NCIS began production on its upcoming season and two months after Criminal Minds actresses Kirsten Vangsness and A.J. Cook endured their own protracted contract talks, as they sought greater pay parity with their male costars.
At the time de Pablo tendered her decision, she issued a statement saying, “I’ve had eight great years with NCIS and Ziva David. I have huge respect and affection for Mark [Harmon], Gary [Glasberg], Michael [Weatherly], David [McCallum], Rocky [Carroll], Pauley [Perrette], Brian [Dietzen], Sean [Murray], all of the team and CBS. I look forward to finishing Ziva’s story.”