It’s been years since Michael Weatherly and his character of Anthony “Tony” DiNozzo left “NCIS,” but longtime fans of the series continue to feel his absence all the same. While DiNozzo is an integral part of the core team for the first 13 seasons of the show, he ultimately takes his leave in the Season 13 finale upon the revelation that he and ex-teammate Ziva David (Cote de Pablo) have a daughter together. The former special agent has essentially been missing in action since then, and some fans are no doubt wondering whether he’ll ever return to the show at all. Thankfully, it seems that Weatherly himself has a tentative answer as to the character’s future.
In a post on his official X account, Weatherly definitively expressed his interest in bringing DiNozzo back to “NCIS” in some capacity. “There will be more DiNozzo someday because he is the one character that felt unfinished… That’s my plan! We shall see,” the former “NCIS” star wrote.
While it’s clear that the actor would like to reprise the role at some point down the line, he gave no indication of any concrete plans for DiNozzo’s return to “NCIS” or any upcoming guest star appearances.
Rumors swirl around a return for DiNozzo
Michael Weatherly’s social media comment on returning as Tony DiNozzo to “NCIS” comes less than a year since rumors swirled in mid-2023 that the actor was in negotiations to return to the series. According to a May 2023 report from RadarOnline.com, Weatherly has been in talks with CBS executives for a potential return to the long-running procedural series. Details on the exact nature of his possible comeback are slim, but there is one particular point of interest.
The rumor alleges that Weatherly has specifically requested that “NCIS” bring him back opposite Cote de Pablo’s Ziva David. While De Pablo has appeared in several episodes since Weatherly took his leave from the series in 2016, their characters haven’t been on-screen together in years. This rumor remains unsubstantiated for the time being, but it’s worth noting that Weatherly did once publicly suggest that the story of DiNozzo and David was not over. In a January 2023 post responding to the idea of the two characters reuniting, the actor wrote: “Stay tuned… For this might be an interesting year for such ‘moments!'”
Of course, DiNozzo’s “NCIS” return didn’t end up happening in 2023, despite the tease. Nonetheless, it seems there’s still hope for the character’s return in the coming years, be it in “NCIS” Season 21 or beyond.