Mark Harmon Drops Bombshell: Gibbs’ NCIS Return – ‘I Don’t Know About It!’

Mark Harmon, an executive producer on NCIS, has not been informed about any plans for Leroy Jethro Gibbs to resurface for a potential sendoff for the late David McCallum’s character, Dr. Donald “Ducky” Mallard. While there has been speculation about a tribute to McCallum, who passed away on September 25, and a potential appearance by original cast members, including Harmon, no official announcements have been made.

Harmon, who has not appeared on-screen as Gibbs since early Season 19, was recently asked about the character’s current whereabouts in a Q&A with Entertainment Tonight. Harmon humorously suggested that Gibbs might be fishing in a stream in Alaska and added, “Is he going to get out of the stream? I don’t know. But if he is, I don’t know about it.”

NCIS showrunner Steven D. Binder has been cautious about revealing Gibbs’ current location and status. Binder expressed the sentiment among the writing staff that Gibbs has been left in a state of ambiguity—somewhere and nowhere at the same time. Binder emphasized the desire to maintain the open-ended nature of Gibbs’ departure in Season 19, describing it as a “perfect ending” for the character. Any potential references to Gibbs in the series have been carefully crafted to provide minimal details about his current life.

As production for NCIS Season 21 has not yet begun, the fate of Gibbs and any potential tributes to Ducky remain uncertain.