National treasure Mariska Hargitay is celebrating some big milestones.
Not only has the Law & Order: Special Victims Unit star returned for the series’ 25th season, but she also recently turned 60 — and her husband, Peter Hermann, threw her a “magical” surprise party.
Inside Mariska Hargitay’s surprise 60th birthday
“It was so magical and spectacular,” Hargitay said on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on February 8.
“And the highlight was each one of my children sang to me…I didn’t know about it! My kids don’t sing. They’ve never sang in public, so I had no idea. This was such a surprise!”
The Hargitay-Hermann kids went all-out with their musical selections too. Their oldest son, August, sang “Blue Bayou” by Linda Ronstadt and “Blue Christmas” by Elvis. Their daughter, Amaya, sang “Long Live” by Taylor Swift. And their youngest son, Andrew,” sang “Crazy Train” by Ozzy Osbourne. An eclectic setlist!
Swift, of course, is a huge Law & Order: SVU fan — so much so that she named one of her cats after Hargitay’s character, Olivia Benson.
“It was such a sweet honor,” the actress said. “I think she loved SVU and I think she loved Grey’s Anatomy. So she named one after me and one after Ellen Pompeo’s [characters].
Mariska Hargitay on naming her cat after a Taylor Swift song
Last year, Hargitay returned the favor when she added a siamese cat to her family, and named it Karma, after the Midnights track where Swift sings that karma is many things, including a cat.
“She’s so perfect and aptly named,” she said about the Karma kitty. Swift must have agreed, because when the actress posted a picture of Karma on her Instagram last year, introducing them to the world, Swift replied to her post, commenting: “Are you serious?!!! Nothing has ever come more full circle. LOVE THIS SO MUCH!!”
Swift is just one of the millions of fans who has helped make Law & Order: SVU a record-breaking success. In 2019, the NBC series became the longest-running primetime television drama in history, and Olivia Benson became the longest-running character in a primetime live-action series. Now that milestone has been extended even more with the recent 25th season premiere of the Dick Wolf procedural.
“I’ve never been more fulfilled, I’ve never been more in my shoes. You used the word ‘milestone,’ and truly it is,” explained the Emmy winner. “Turning 60 is a marker, you cannot turn 60 without taking inventory, and also that coming on the heels of the 25th anniversary… I’m so settled in it. I feel like I’m just in a way getting going. We love what we’re doing.”
