What ever happened to Tony DiNozzo after he left NCIS, and could he ever return to the show?

Tony DiNozzo, played by Michael Weatherly, departed NCIS at the end of Season 13 in 2016. His exit was handled in a deeply emotional way that felt true to the character. The storyline involved the death of Ziva David, his longtime partner and love interest, who was killed in a mortar attack on her farmhouse in Israel. Before her death, Ziva had given birth to their daughter, Tali, and Tony only discovered the child's existence after Ziva was gone. The season finale showed Tony making the decision to leave NCIS to raise Tali in Paris, where he would focus entirely on being a father and keeping his daughter safe. It was a bittersweet ending that gave the character a meaningful reason to walk away from the job he had dedicated his life to. After leaving NCIS, Michael Weatherly moved on to star in the CBS legal drama Bull, which ran from 2016 to 2022. The show was inspired by the early career of Dr. Phil McGraw and featured Weatherly as a trial science expert. The series had a solid run but ended after six seasons, partly due to behind-the-scenes controversy involving a sexual harassment complaint filed against Weatherly by actress Eliza Dushku, which was settled out of court. The situation drew significant media attention and likely contributed to the show's cancellation. As for whether Tony DiNozzo could return to NCIS, the answer is actually yes, and in a significant way. The show brought back Cote de Pablo as Ziva David in Season 17, revealing that Ziva had actually faked her death and gone into hiding to protect her family from a dangerous enemy. This storyline opened the door for Tony's return, and the show has teased his possible reappearance over the years. Weatherly himself has expressed fondness for the character and the show, and there have been ongoing discussions about bringing Tony back in some capacity. The producers and network have clearly kept that door open deliberately. In fact, the Tony and Ziva story was given its own dedicated spinoff called NCIS: Tony and Ziva, which was announced and put into development. This spinoff was confirmed to be in the works, with both Michael Weatherly and Cote de Pablo attached to reprise their roles. The series was expected to follow the two characters as they navigate their relationship and deal with whatever threats or adventures come their way in a more serialized format. This represented a major development for fans of the original show who had always hoped to see the Tony and Ziva romance fully explored and resolved on screen. So while Tony DiNozzo has been absent from NCIS proper for years, his story is far from over. The spinoff represents a genuine opportunity for Weatherly to revisit one of television's most beloved procedural characters and give audiences the closure and continuation they have been wanting since his departure. Whether the spinoff will fully satisfy longtime fans remains to be seen, but the fact that both lead actors are involved and the network committed to developing it suggests there is real enthusiasm behind the project. Tony DiNozzo leaving NCIS turned out to be not an ending but more of a long intermission.