Law & Order: Special Victims Unit has survived 27 seasons, nearly 600 episodes and enough cast changes to fill more than one squad room. Ice-T has no plans to become the next one.
During a recent appearance on the Creators Inc. podcast, the 68-year-old actor — whose real name is Tracy Lauren Marrow — sat down with host Andy Bachman and opened up about the financial side of his record-breaking run as Sgt. Odafin “Fin” Tutuola.
Asked whether his time on the NBC drama had given him leverage during contract negotiations, Ice-T said it had “to an extent,” explaining that he has typically signed two- or three-year deals that included annual raises.
Still, he knows when he has landed on a winning franchise. “I’m Black and I don’t jump off a boat while it’s floating, even though I can swim,” he joked. “So that boat’s floating.”
If there was ever a chance he might abandon ship, his first residual check apparently took care of it. Ice-T recalled noticing an unfamiliar payment in his account after his first year on the show and calling his accountant for an explanation.
"She said, 'That's residuals.' I'm like, 'What's that?' She goes, 'Every time the show shows on the network, you get paid something. The show is on right now. This minute, it's on.' Ching-ching."
He had his own name for the show’s familiar two-note sound: “Dick Wolf’s cash register.”
“That day, I went from, ‘I don’t know how long I’ll do this show,’ to, ‘I will be on this show till they throw my Black a** off kicking and screaming,’” he continued.
Ice-T joined SVU in its second-season premiere in 2000 after originally signing on for only four episodes. He has since become the longest-running male actor on an American primetime drama, trailing only co-star Mariska Hargitay’s tenure as Olivia Benson.
His latest comments are hardly the first indication that he intends to stick around. During a March appearance on Sherri, the hip-hop pioneer said he was “ready for the ride” and hoped to reach Season 30.
Hargitay isn’t rushing for the exit, either. Speaking to Katie Couric Media in June, she said the healing and community the series provides survivors makes her want “to stay on it forever.”
For now, both stars have more cases ahead. NBC renewed SVU for Season 28, adding another chapter to a series that first premiered in 1999 and still hasn’t lost its grip.
As for Bachman, he may not have a badge, but he’s built his own kind of empire.
The Creators Inc. founder has interviewed everyone from Offset and Blac Chyna to Ryan Garcia and Sophie Rain. Away from the microphone, his work has included brokering Georgio Poullas’ reported near-seven-figure wrestling purse and helping stars including Shannon Elizabeth and Jaime Pressly enter the creator economy.
“Viral doesn’t mean valuable,” he explained to LA Weekly earlier this year. “Attention without infrastructure is just wasted energy.”
