When & Why Michael Weatherly’s Tony DiNozzo Left NCIS

One of the original and longest-running characters in NCIS is Tony DiNozzo, played by Michael Weatherly. However, DiNozzo has not been a part of the enormously successful CBS crime procedural series for years. Here’s when and why Tony DiNozzo left NCIS and when he’s expected back to the franchise.

When Michael Weatherly’s Tony DiNozzo Left NCIS

Tony DiNozzo’s final appearance as a series regular on NCIS is in the Season 13 finale, “Family First,” where he learns that his former partner – both professionally and romantically – Ziva David was apparently killed in a bombing. As Tony grieves the loss of his lover and colleague, Mossad director Orli Elbaz informs him that Tony fathered a daughter with Ziva, whom he never knew about, named Tali. Determined to raise Tali as a single father, Tony resigns from the Naval Criminal Investigative Service to focus on being a dad while contemplating a global search for Ziva, believing her to secretly still be alive as her body was never found.

After Tony’s departure from NCIS as a series regular in 2016, Weatherly reprised the role in the Season 21 episode “The Stories We Leave Behind.” The 2024 episode revolved around the passing of longtime NCIS character Ducky Mallard, reflecting the actual death of Ducky’s actor David McCallum. In the episode, Tony returns to pay his respects to Ducky and offers words of wisdom to the current team before returning to care for his daughter.

Related: Why Was NCIS: Hawai’i Cancelled?

Why Michael Weatherly’s Tony DiNozzo Left NCIS

The reason behind Weatherly’s departure from NCIS is, as one can imagine, far less dramatic than why DiNozzo ultimately left his team. After 13 seasons of starring on the same show, playing the same character, Weatherly was looking for a new direction to take his career. By all public accounts, Weatherly’s decision not to return to NCIS after Season 13 was an amicable one as Weatherly moved to star in a different CBS series, Bull, which ran for six seasons from 2016 to 2022.

Fortunately, NCIS fans have not seen the last of Tony DiNozzo or Weatherly in his most iconic role. The same month that Weatherly reprised his role as Tony in NCIS Season 21, it was announced that Weatherly and co-star Cote de Pablo would reprise their roles as Tony and Ziva, respectively, in a new NCIS spinoff series. Currently untitled, the spinoff began principal photography in June 2024, telling the continuing adventures of Tony and Ziva, with their daughter Tali.

And that’s why and when Michael Weatherly’s Tony DiNozzo left NCIS.