Ice-T signs up for 27th consecutive season of Law & Order: SVU

Ice-T is returning to an expanded role in Season 28 of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.

The rapper and actor, whose real name is Tracy Lauren Marrow, will return to the show with more screen time than he had in Season 27, telling TMZ that he is scheduled to be in every episode.

"Last year, what happened was they brought Kelli Giddish back," he explained.

"So they told me, basically, we're going to bring Kelli Giddish back, we're going to bring down your scenes a little bit."

Ice-T recalled asking if he was getting fired from the show, and being told no, they were "just going to move some things around budget-wise".

Giddish left her role as NYPD Detective Sergeant Amanda Rollins on the long-running crime-drama series in 2022, but returned as a regular cast member last year.

Ice-T has been on Law & Order: SVU for 26 years. He made his first appearance as Detective Sergeant Odafin 'Fin' Tutuola in the second season, which premiered in 2000.

Initially brought in for a four-episode arc, his chemistry with the cast led to a tenure that has afforded him one of the longest-running acting stints in US primetime TV history.

He told TMZ that shows like SVU feature "dozens of scenes per episode", adding that "after all these years, I'm not dying for screen time".