Mariska Hargitay Reveals Her “Love Language” with Chris Meloni They Learned on SVU
"We were so rough on each other," the SVU star said. "But then it became truly our love language."
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While some people value gift-giving or words of affirmation, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit icon Mariska Hargitay reveals that her "love language" with Christopher Meloni involves plenty of barbed humor.
During an October 2025 appearance on the Good Hang with Amy Poehler podcast, Hargitay opened up about how she and Meloni share a chuckle-worthy love language after being friends for so many years. Meloni stopped by the podcast to sing praises of his longtime co-star, revealing just how much the duo laughed while on the set of SVU. And just like a brother and sister duo, Meloni and Hargitay don't hold back when ribbing each other.
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After bringing the hyper-serious world of SVU to life together, Meloni taught Hargitay the value of not taking oneself too seriously.
Mariska Hargitay and Chris Meloni's "love language" is laughter
"I have this personality, and Chris and I... both have that sense of humor, that sense of play, sense of risk," Hargitay told Amy Poehler, revealing that playfully teasing each other is her love language with Meloni.
After the Parks and Rec icon chatted about the safety that comes with being able to gently tease a friend or loved one, Hargitay added that sometimes "hard teasing" can deepen bonds even further. And the person who taught her the value of a little hard teasing? None other than SVU icon Detective Elliot Stabler.
"Hard teasing, I learned that from, well, Chris Meloni was my teacher," Hargitay revealed. "This guy played so rough and was the first person that busted balls so hard. But I did grow up with two brothers, so I was like, 'Oh? Oh, is this how we do it?' And we were so rough on each other. But then it became truly our love language."
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Chris Meloni and Mariska Hargitay loved a good "bit" while filming Law & Order: SVU
Before inviting Hargitay to the podcast, Poehler connected with Hargitay's longtime co-star Meloni to chat about some of his happiest memories on the set of SVU. Poehler asked Meloni about his and Hargitay's appreciation for behind-the-scenes "bits," which may or may not have derailed filming a few times.
"She was going out on dates, and I said, 'You should be dating a guy named Gerald,'" Meloni recalled of the early days of SVU. "And why that struck us as funny, we don't know. But all of a sudden, she had phantom guys that she dated that she was really in love with, but it was difficult to manage with Gerald."
Hargitay got in on the joke instantly. "I'd go, 'Gerald's here, but I told him to get lost because you were working.' In the middle of like, setting up an [SVU] scene," Meloni shared. "And she goes, 'Gosh, Chris, you're not allowed to do that!' And she starts running out, she goes, 'Gerald!'"
"It makes no sense. It's not even particularly funny, but it's just funny to us," Meloni laughed at the chucklesome inside joke.
Despite their longtime dramatic roles as sex crimes investigators, Hargitay and Meloni excelled at keeping it light behind the scenes of the NBC nail-biter. Meloni had Hargitay laughing from the moment the SVU co-stars first met during their SVU audition in 1999. Hargitay told Poehler the humorous story of their first meeting, which coincidentally featured a shirtless Stabler.
"Chris comes in, and he's wearing no clothes — big surprise — and he has this huge cross [tattoo on his arm], and I'm like, 'Oh my God, you're a Christian!'" Hargitay told Poehler. "And he goes like this, 'Yeah, no.'"
"'Then why do you have Jesus Christ on your arm?'" Hargitay recalled asking, revealing Meloni's tongue-in-cheek response: "Because I admire his commitment."
"And I was like, 'OK, well, there's that. I've never met anyone like you, but I like it,'" Hargitay recalled to Poehler.
RELATED: Chris Meloni Is So Sweet Giving Mariska Hargitay's Son a Piggyback Ride on the SVU Set
Watch Law & Order: Special Victims Unit on Thursdays at 9/8c on NBC and the next day on Peacock.
