A former NCIS star reacts after making a surprise cameo in the newest episode eight years after last appearing on the show.

The latest episode of the series, “The Stories We Leave Behind,” served as a tribute to late actor David McCallum. It had the characters of NCIS mourning the loss of Ducky, and the show gives him a send-off by having the agents picking up one of his final, unfinished cases. The episode also featured a surprise return from Michael Weatherly, who used to star in the series as Tony DiNozzo. Weatherly had not been featured in the show as DiNozzo since his exit in 2016, and after the episode aired, the actor shared his reaction with a post on X.

A photo was included with the post featuring Michael Weatherly on the set with NCIS: LA star and NCIS director Daniela Ruah. He also praised Jimmy Palmer actor Brian Dietzen, who served as a writer on the episode. The X post stated, “Being back on NCIS was truly Amazing. to [Brian Dietzen, CBS & NCISverse]. Seeing everyone behind the camera was a box of treasure: one glorious shining jewel was [Daniela Ruah] who is directing up a storm! Ducky would have loved all the smiles! Gotta go- there’s work to do!”

Michael Weatherly Had Teased His Return to NCIS

In January, Michael Weatherly had shared in a post on X that he was hoping to return to the world of NCIS. He teased, “There will be more DiNozzo someday because he is the one character that felt unfinished… that’s my plan! We shall see…”

As for whether there will be more of DiNozzo in future episodes, that remains to be seen. Co-showrunner Steven D. Binder told TVLine that he was perfect for a cameo in the Ducky tribute episode. Fellow co-showrunner David J. North also observed how effortless it seemed to be for Michael Weatherly to slip back into the role of DiNozzo.

“We gave a lot of thought to who Ducky is connected to most, which on one level would be Gibbs,” Binder said. “But it was Jimmy who was there, so it was [about] who Jimmy would connect with, and also bring some levity… and that was Michael Weatherly. It’s really a no-brainer.”

North added, “He’s DiNozzo again, there’s nothing rusty… As soon as he walked into that autopsy room, I thought, ‘DiNozzo’s back.’”