Meet the Kids of the “Law & Order: SVU” Cast

NEED TO KNOW

• Season 28 of Law & Order: SVU premiered in October 2026

• Longtime lead Mariska Hargitay is a mom of three

• Several of her costars, including Ice-T, also have three children

For much of the Law & Order: Special Victims Unit cast, parenthood takes top billing.

Mariska Hargitay, who has starred as Detective Olivia Benson since the NBC procedural premiered on Sept. 20, 1999, juggles being the series’ decades-long lead with the everyday life of a mom of three. That balancing act will continue throughout the Dick Wolf production’s historic 28th season.

In September 2024, the director of My Mom Jayne spoke about finding that balance with Selena Gomez for Interview magazine.

“Are there things I miss? Yeah. The flip side is that my kids are really proud of me,” Hargitay told the Only Murders in the Building actress. “I am happier and living a fuller life, and they feel that and see that.”

In addition to Hargitay, several Law & Order: SVU actors are also working parents, including Ice-T, Kelli Giddish, Peter Scanavino and Corey Cott, who, like their costar, also have three children each.

Here’s everything to know about the kids of the Law & Order: SVU cast.

01 of 07

Mariska Hargitay’s 3 Kids

Hargitay has played Olivia Benson since season 1 of Law & Order: SVU. On the series, Benson has a son named Noah. In real life, though, Hargitay is mom to three kids, whom she shares with her husband, actor Peter Hermann.

The California native gave birth to their first son, August Miklos Friedrich, in June 2006.

Five years later, in April 2011, Hargitay and Hermann welcomed their daughter Amaya Josephine via adoption.

“I’m deliriously happy. From the minute she was born, she was just surprisingly alert and so full of love,” Hargitay told PEOPLE at the time.

Six months later, their family grew again when they welcomed their youngest child, son Andrew Nicolas, via adoption.

“We never in a million years thought it would happen this quickly, but something inside of us knew that this was right, and we said, ‘Yes, yes, yes!’ ” she recalled. “We knew this was our guy. It felt divinely right.”

02 of 07

Ice-T’s 3 Kids

Ice-T (born Tracy Lauren Marrow) has portrayed the no-nonsense Detective Odafin “Fin” Tutuola since season 2. Off-screen, he is a father of three.

The iconic rapper first became a parent in high school in March 1976, when he and his then-girlfriend Adrienne welcomed daughter LeTesha.

In November 1991, his second child, son Tracy Jr., whom he shares with ex-girlfriend Darlene Ortiz, was born.

Ice-T then became a dad for the third time when wife Coco Austin gave birth to his younger child, daughter Chanel Nicole, in November 2015.

“When I had my first kid I was in the middle of the wildness of becoming Ice-T, all the people that were after me, and I had my head down,” he told PEOPLE in 2016. “I really wasn’t concentrating on them; I was concentrating on survival. Now, everything is a lot more mellow.”

Like her parents, Chanel is no stranger to the spotlight — the actor proudly showed off his daughter’s “main character” energy when the 10-year-old walked the runway during the Rookie Kids fashion show in N.Y.C. in July 2026.

Ice-T is also a grandfather, as LeTesha welcomed son Elyjah in 1995.

03 of 07

Kelli Giddish’s 3 Kids

Giddish has been a part of SVU since season 13, when she began playing Amanda Rollins. She left during season 24 and made guest-star appearances before returning as a main cast member on season 27. Off-screen, she has three children.

The Georgia native shares her two oldest sons, Ludo and Charlie, with ex-husband Lawrence Faulborn. Ludo was born in October 2015, and Charlie in November 2018.

Giddish and her second husband, Beau Richards, wed in November 2021. They welcomed her third child, son Oldie, in June 2023.

“I feel really lucky now,” she told PEOPLE in May 2026. “[Beau’s] such a great father, such a great stepfather.”

All three of her pregnancies were written into SVU, which the All My Children alum thinks might be a television record.

“My husband is like, ‘I’m thinking it might be a record that one actress has had three babies on one show,’ ” Giddish told PEOPLE at the Law & Order: SVU 25th-anniversary celebration in January 2024. “Is that a record, by the way?”

She continued, “The love and support that I felt, weighing 180 lbs. on a national TV show on network TV. It didn’t even faze me … they were all there to love and support me, and I was breastfeeding on set, and it just worked seamlessly.”

04 of 07

Peter Scanavino’s 3 Kids

Scanavino began portraying ADA Dominick “Sonny” Carisi Jr. during season 16. He and his wife, artist Lisha Bai, married in July 2011 and share three kids whom they keep out of the public eye.

In November 2024, Scanavino did, however, open up to PEOPLE about how he looks to his friend and costar Hargitay as a parenting role model.

“She’s a really inquisitive, strong person that’s open to all kinds of different things, and I think that’s just invaluable as a friend, as a parent, as an actor,” he said. “And I have a few role models in my life as a parent, and she’s definitely one of them.”

05 of 07

Kevin Kane’s 1 Child

Kevin Kane has portrayed Detective Terry Bruno since season 24. He’s married to actress Francis Benhamou, and they have one daughter. (The couple has not shared their child’s name.)

While Kane has kept his daughter out of the spotlight, during an interview on New York Living in May 2024. he noted his role on SVU has helped him as a parent.

“I have a 6-year-old daughter; she’s usually four steps ahead of me, and since Terry Bruno, she’s only two steps,” Kane said.

06 of 07

Corey Cott’s 3 Kids

Cott joined SVU in season 27 as Detective Jake Griffin. A member of Detective Benson’s team, off-camera he and his wife, Meghan Woollard, are parents of three boys.

The Broadway star and Woollard tied the knot in January 2013 and later welcomed their first child, son Elliott Michael, in May 2017. Per Playbill, their baby boy arrived as the parents listened to the soundtrack of Broadway’s Waitress.

Middle child Nolan followed in August 2019, and youngest son Asher joined the family in October 2021, Broadway.com reported.

Cott has shared family photos, usually with very funny captions, on social media, including the present they got him for his birthday in March 2025.

“Do YOUR kids get you Minion/Sonic/Paw Patrol balloons on your birthday? Didn’t think so! Boom roasted. 35 coming in hot!” he wrote on Instagram.

07 of 07

Christopher Meloni’s 2 Kids

Christopher Meloni played the iconic character Detective Elliot Stabler for 12 seasons before leaving the procedural in 2011. He later returned as a guest star and reprised the role on the spinoff Law & Order: Organized Crime from 2021 to 2025.

He has been married to artist Sherman Williams since July 1995, and the couple shares two children.

Their daughter Sophia was born in March 2001, followed by son Dante in January 2004.

“I always knew I wanted kids, as did my wife,” Meloni told PEOPLE in October 2022. “My mother always used to say to me, ‘I’ve learned so much from you kids,’ and I didn’t get it. Now I get it.”

While discussing fatherhood in March 2014, Meloni told USA Today, “I think my kids would call me a little crazy.”

“I’m very physical, very affectionate. I’m also very disciplined and focused on education,” he added. “That’s one thing that was instilled in me, one place in life where there’s no compromise.”

Read the original article on People