LL Cool J Headed to ‘NCIS: Hawai’i’ Next Season

LL Cool J is hanging up his badge on the mainland, but come next season, the veteran rapper/actor will be investigating crimes in an equally sunny, surfy locale. In a tweet on Monday night (May 22), LL wrote “Let’s do this!!!,” along with an arm flex, lightning bolt and fire emoji after NCIS: Hawai’i star Vanessa Lachey tweeted, “Cat’s out of the bag. Welcome @LLCOOLJ to our #NCISHawaii ohana!” along with a photo of her smiling next to LL.

In a second tweet, LL explained his long-running NCIS: Los Angeles character Sam Hanna’s jump from the City of Angels after a 14-year run with the NCIS franchise to his new island home. “Couldn’t keep Sam Hanna off the case for too long!!,” he wrote. “Starting tonight, Sam Hanna will join forces with @NCISHawaiiCBS team as a recurring guest star in the upcoming third season.”

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Monday night’s season two finale of NCIS: Hawai’i found Lachey’s Jane Tennant and Tori Anderson’s Kate Whistler under attack in Venezuela until an offscreen ally comes to their aid when Jane’s phone rings and LL’s Hanna is on the other end. The rapper’s character was last seen in the Moroccan desert in Sunday night’s series finale of NCIS: Los Angeles.

Tennant thanks Hanna for the hand, with Hanna noting that he was “in the neighborhood… Morocco, actually, but hey — what’s a few borders and an ocean, anyway?” The long-distance cameo is a preview of LL’s upcoming recurring role in the upcoming 2023-24 NCIS: Hawai’i season, where he will reprise his role as Hanna; LL previously appeared on the show in a cameo crossover earlier this season.

“One of the most beautiful things about working on NCIS: Hawai’i is the show’s ability to bring the franchise together. We have had so much fun spreading the aloha to NCIS and NCIS: LA with the triple crossover,” Lachey said of LL’s previous cameo. “Now, we have the amazing opportunity to bring Sam Hanna to Hawai’i to help the island solve some cases and maybe have a few laughs in the process. Welcome to the ohana, Todd! It’s going to be a fun ride!”

Check out LL’s tweets below.