#Why did Maria Bello leave NCIS, character of Jack Sloane?

Why did Maria Bello leave NCIS following tonight’s season 18 episode 8? We understand the question. Jack Sloane was a popular character, and there were definitely fans lining up to support her relationship with Mark Harmon’s Gibbs. We think easily the writers could’ve come up with more story to tell.

So with all of this, let’s circle back to that central question once more: Why? What happened here?

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The biggest thing that we should note is that there is nothing altogether controversial surrounding Bello’s exit — everything associated with her departure has been positive in the press. This feels like nothing more than an acclaimed actress wanting to do some other things. When Maria first joined the show back in season 15, she signed a three-year contract to play Sloane. That contract ended, but she was still gracious enough to come back for eight episodes and wrap up her story. She didn’t have to do that, but she wanted to give fans some closure — and now, she can see what else is out there. NCIS is a demanding job, and it ties you up for the vast majority of the year. We know that Bello has done fantastic film work, so we wouldn’t be shocked to see her do something in that vein again — or possibly a TV show that has a smaller overall episode count.

At least the writers did choose to write out Sloane in a way that keeps the door open for the future. There is no guarantee that she will ever return as this character, but we’ll keep crossing our fingers that it could happen someday.

Related – Check out more NCIS coverage, including when the series could potentially return for more

Are you going to miss Maria Bello as Sloane on NCIS?

Be sure to let us know below in the comments! We’re going to have all sorts of further NCIS coverage coming, so stay tuned — you won’t want to miss it. (Photo: CBS.)

This article was written by Jessica Carter. Be sure to follow her on Twitter.