“After 18 Seasons, the Unthinkable Happens” — Rocky Carroll Finally Reveals the Shocking Truth Behind His Sudden Exit From NCIS, Leaving Fans Stunned, Heartbroken, and Questioning What Happens Next for the Legendary Series! Fans of NCIS were blindsided when longtime star Rocky Carroll — who has played Director Leon Vance for nearly two decades — opened up about the real reason behind his character’s departure.

This story contains spoilers from the March 24 episode of NCIS season 23.

NCIS fans will be totally shocked by this major turn of events.

The hit series is in its twenty-third season, with new episodes airing every Tuesday night on CBS, and fans love watching the federal agents solve thrilling cases. Well, the March 24 episode (which, coincidentally, was NCIS’s 500th episode) brought about a major change to the show that no one likely saw coming.

The episode, titled “All Good Things,” showed NCIS being officially shut down and folded into the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) in the U.S. Army. This led to Timothy McGee (Sean Murray) and Jessica Knight (Katrina Law) joining that unit, while Alden Parker (Gary Cole) and Nick Torres (Wilmer Valderrama) retired and joined the DEA, respectively.

But the main crux of the episode centered on NCIS director Leon Vance (Rocky Carroll), who was questioned by a mystery man (Adhir Kalyan) about a case involving a weapons-smuggling operation and CID agents going against the teams they work with. While the group tries to figure out what is going on behind the scenes, Vance finds a bomb in the NCIS’s evidence garage, placed there with the intent to destroy any incriminating evidence.

Even though Vance eventually defused the bomb, Army CID agent Dolan Thompson (Matt Cook) ends up fatally shooting Vance. As he dies, viewers catch flashbacks of a younger version of the late Dr. Donald “Ducky” Mallard (portrayed by Adam Campbell) in his mind before succumbing to his injuries.

Dr. Jimmy Palmer (Brian Dietzen), Timothy McGee (Sean Murray), and Alden Parker (Gary Cole) attempt to save Leon Vance (Rocky Carroll).CBS

With Vance’s death, the future of NCIS seems uncertain. So, why did Rocky Carroll leave NCIS?

Rocky previously spoke to TV Insider about the major news, telling the outlet that the decision to leave wasn’t his. Rather, after hearing what show runner and executive producer Steven D. Binder had in mind for the rest of the season, it simply made sense for him to part ways.

“Well, the agency, NCIS, as we know it, is in deep peril and is in danger of becoming extinct, of folding over into another agency because there’s a nefarious character working behind the scenes to sabotage the agency,” Rocky said on March 24.
“Director Vance figures out who it is, and in the process of saving the agency, he loses his life. It’s a great story.’ … And I thought, ‘Wait, let’s go back a minute. Back up to the part where you say in saving the agency, he loses his life.’”

Even though it wasn’t necessarily Rocky’s choice to leave NCIS, he did tell Variety that he’s proud of the way Vance was sent off on the show. He also reflected on how lucky he is as an actor to have worked on the same project for close to two decades.

“For selfish reasons, I have to remind people: I’ve been a character on this series for 18 years,” he told Variety. “Most Hollywood careers don’t last 18 years. So, to be able to play one character on one of the most popular shows in the world for 18 seasons, that’s the equivalent of living to be 105. You know, if you’ve known somebody who lived to be 105, when you go to that funeral, there’s a part of you that’s like, ‘OK, yeah, this is sad, but I mean, geez! The guy lived to be 105.’ So I feel that way with my character.”

Now, fans may remember Rocky’s first appearance as Vance came in the NCIS season 5 episode “Internal Affairs.” His character initially served as an assistant director for NCIS before being promoted to director in season 6.

Rocky Carroll as Director Leon Vance on NCIS.CBS Photo Archive