Chris Meloni Explains Why This Mug Was the Weirdest Present He's Gotten from a Fan
The Organized Crime and SVU star detailed the thoughtful (but unique) present.
When you portray one of the most iconic characters in television history long enough, you get a few gifts sent your way, and for Christopher Meloni, one fan-sent present takes the cake.
Meloni has been synonymous with the character of Elliot Stabler for two-and-a-half decades, whether it's from his time on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit or his current project, Law & Order: Organized Crime. And in a lighthearted 2014 Q&A with PEOPLE, the star revealed the weirdest gift he'd ever received from a fan — and trust us, it's way more bizarre than you'd think!
"A mug of my likeness in relief," Meloni confessed at the tail-end of the video interview.
Now, let's clarify: Meloni is not referring to a mug with his face on it! That would be, well, kind of normal.
The key phrase here is "in relief," which is a sculpting technique "where figures or forms are carved or molded so that they project from a flat background."
So no, the weirdest present a fan has ever sent Meloni isn't a photo mug, but a piece of art shaped like a mug that also had a three-dimensional Meloni face carved into it!
The rest of the video is filled with hilarious Meloni responses to random questions — and we're especially obsessed with his answer to, "How do you plan on dealing with your daughter's boyfriend?"
"Shotgun," he said without hesitating for even a microsecond.
That answer doesn't surprise fans. Meloni has the best relationship with his daughter, Sophia!
When does Season 5 of Law & Order: Organized Crime premiere?
Season 5 of Organized Crime kicks off Thursday, April 17, 2025, exclusively on Peacock and will have all the same pulse-pounding drama fans have come to know and love.
"Season 5 explores the dangerous worlds of cross-border smuggling, high-tech domestic terrorism and a crime family intent on repaying Stabler for the injury he did them in Rome," the show's synopsis reads. "As his worlds collide, Stabler will put everything on the line to protect the vulnerable and fight for justice."
Of course, fans will be glued to their televisions waiting to see any new developments in the decades-long Elliot Stabler-Olivia Benson rollercoaster relationship take place in Season 5. After all, Meloni and Mariska Hargitay have teased that something is on the horizon!
