Christopher Meloni denies return to 'Law & Order: SVU'

NEW YORK, March 8 (UPI) -- Christopher Meloni is not returning to Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, despite rumors to the contrary.

The 54-year-old actor denied he will reprise Det. Elliot Stabler on the NBC police procedural in an interview with HuffPost Live on Monday.

"No, I heard that rumor along with everybody else," the star said while promoting his WGN America series, Underground. "I have no idea where that came from or what that's about."

Meloni played Stabler for 12 seasons before exiting Law & Order: SVU over a contract dispute in 2011. The actor later told Vulture he was ready to leave and denied his departure was linked to longtime showrunner Neal Baer's exit.

"Twelve years. I never dreamed that I would stick with someone so long," he admitted. "I enjoyed it so much. But it was time. I had been thinking about it for a while."

Present showrunner Warren Leight sparked rumors of Meloni's return after SVU was renewed for an 18th season in February. Leight told The Hollywood Reporter he would have approached Meloni if Season 17 was the show's last.

"In hindsight, NBC, Dick [Wolf], Universal and Chris all know they could have handled [Meloni's exit] better," Leight said. "But I think Chris, over time from what I hear, began to realize that the fans were owed a little more."

Law & Order: SVU is in its 17th season and will return to television March 23. Mariska Hargitay stars as Det. Olivia Benson, with Ice-T as Det. Odafin Tutuola, Tamara Tunie as medical examiner Melinda Warner and Kelli Giddish as Det. Amanda Rollins.