Former NCIS Star’s New Hair Color Has Fans Begging Them to Come Back
Emily Wickersham is blonde (again) – and fans can’t help but notice how much she looks like her former NCIS character Ellie Bishop!
In a July 2023 Instagram post, Wickersham shared a photo of her new light hairstyle, which is a bold transformation from her brunette locks. “back to blonde programming,” she captioned the photo. She also credited celebrity hairstylist Ashley Javier Parlor for the new look. (Parlor’s past clients include Angelina Jolie, Penelope Cruz, Zoe Kravitz, Bella Hadid, Kendall Jenner and more).
Fans flooded the comment section stating about how much the actress resembled her fan-favorite character. “Makes me miss Ellie Bishop,” one user posted with a crying emoji. Others suggested that she should return to NCIS with her new hairdo. “Maybe with this hair you back to NCIS :),” a fan penned. “Does that mean your back at @ncis_cbs finally??,” another wrote. (Head over to the actress’ Instagram post to read dozens of comments just like these.)
It’s been a while since we last saw Wickersham portray Eleanor “Ellie” Bishop on NCIS. She played the special agent from Season 11 until her surprise exit in Season 18. Wickersham announced that she was leaving NCIS in an Instagram post on May 25, 2021. “I’ve been lucky enough to be a part of a show where I got to show up and act and laugh and learn with wonderful people,” the actress said. “A moment in time I surely won’t forget. Thank you CBS and NCIS for including me in a part of television history.” CBS’s official network Instagram left Wickersham a heartfelt comment to her post: “Thanks for making history with us…Our one and only Ellie Bishop.” Read her full statement below.
The actress didn’t provide an official reason for leaving the NCIS at the time of her departure. But two months after, Wickersham revealed on Instagram that she was pregnant with her firstborn. Her pregnancy and future baby could have contributed to her decision to leave the show at the end of Season 18. The actress had her son, Cassius Wickersham Dale, in December 2021 with her partner and fellow actor, James Badge Dale.
The last time we saw Bishop was in the NCIS Season 18 finale when her character was written off. We learned that Bishop leaked a confidential NSA file a while ago, and ex-CIA instructor Odette Malone (Elayn J. Taylor), who was training Ellie, intentionally planted the file so that Bishop could go on an undercover mission alongside Odette. Bishop was subsequently fired from the unit, but the vague storyline left room for Ellie to return one day.
CBS or Wickersham have not said anything about a potential return by Ellie, but you can never say never in TV (we’ve seen plenty of stars reprise their roles across primetime – think Jesse Spencer as Matthew Casey in Chicago Fire and Christopher Meloni as Elliot Stabler in Law & Order: Organized Crime). Based on the overwhelming fan response, it seems like NCIS viewers would gladly welcome back Ellie with open arms. If Wickersham does decide to return one day, it might be a while until we see Ellie again because of the ongoing writers and actors strike.
NCIS is available to stream on Paramount Plus.
