‘Law & Order: SVU’ Superfan Wore An Olivia Benson Shirt On A Flight & Unexpectedly Met Mariska Hargitay

Mar 27, 2023 by apost team

Mariska Hargitay has been in the spotlight since she was a child due to her celebrity parents. As the daughter of bombshell Jayne Mansfield and bodybuilder Mickey Hargitay, it is no wonder that the actress went into show business. Tragically, Mansfield was killed in a car accident when her daughter was just 3 years old. Hargitay was in the car when the accident occurred and has a scar on the side of her head shaped like a zig-zag from the incident. 

Hargitay has had an incredible career, having starred in the popular television drama "Law and Order: Special Victims Unit" since 1999. Hargitay is the winner of a Primetime Emmy Award and a Golden Globe Award for her performance on the show.

Before she was Olivia Benson on "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit," Hargitay appeared in a number of films and TV series. Her debut came in 1984 when she was featured in a music video for "She Loves My Car" by Ronnie Milsap. After that, the actress had a small role in a horror film called "Ghoulies." 

Some of the other TV shows Hargitay has been involved in include "Freddy's Nightmares – A Nightmare on Elm Street: The Series," "Baywatch" and "In the Heat of the Night." The star also made guest appearances on "Falcon Crest" and "Seinfeld."

Despite her prominence in several films, what struck many fans most was still her portrayal of the brave, fierce and inspiring Olivia Benson on “Law & Order: SVU.” This attracted Benson to a lot of followers and a huge fandom.

An incredible fan moment was immortalized by the internet when one “Law & Order: SVU” fan posted a TikTok video of her chronicling her delightful encounter with Hargitay on a flight while coincidentally wearing a shirt of the actress as Benson.

Wearing a shirt featuring your favorite television characters has been a trend in the past few years. Whether it's the official merchandise of the show or a customized one, fans, whether they are older or younger, tend to wear it proudly and sometimes subtly to show that they are big fans of any given show. 

On March 20, 2023, Hargitay took to her Instagram stories when she spotted a young woman wearing a “Law & Order: SVU” shirt prominently displaying her character, Olivia Benson, and her on-screen partner Christopher Meloni’s character, Elliot Stabler. 

Hargitay only posted the girl’s photo on her account, raising questions on the internet – who the girl in the shirt was? 

A day after, 27-year-old Taylor Colson took to TikTok to share her incredible encounter with Hargitay during their flight and revealed herself to be the girl. Playing a slideshow of her amazing fan moment, Colson captioned her selfie with Hargitay with – “Detective Benson on my flight” – as the two were all smiles in the camera. 

Colson also included screenshots of her conversation with a friend, expressing her happiness and shock. The friend also wittingly used an Olivia Benson reaction photo that said, “We’re best friends.”

Speaking to TODAY, Colson revealed that Hargitay was thrilled to see her wearing the shirt on the flight, which she later revealed to be a last-minute decision. She even recalled that the actress — when she saw Colson walking down the airplane aisle — was delighted since she had “never seen anybody wearing a shirt like this in real life."

Hargitay then said that she deserved to have a picture with her after the flight. 

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As soon as they landed, Hargitay, like her on-screen character, Olivia Benson, stayed true to her words. The two even had a short conversation, with Hargitay asking Colson what she was doing in Nashville, the origin city of the flight where the two unexpectedly met. 

Apparently, Colson works in the music business in Nashville. She revealed to Hargitay that her former manager, a top exec on Ice-T’s record label, was trying to get her in an episode of “Law & Order: SVU.” Ice-T stars along with Hargitay and Meloni on the show. 

"I told her that, and I was like, 'See, so you might be seeing me soon,' and she's like, 'I would love that,’” Colson told TODAY. 

Aside from talking about the possible guest appearance on the show in the future, Hargitay was also thrilled to know her name. 

"Oh, Taylor! That's a great name for what you want to do,” Hargitay said. 

It's important to note that Taylor Swift, who hails from Nashville, is also a huge “Law & Order: SVU” and Olivia Benson fan, and included Hargitay in her 2015 “Bad Blood” music video, along with TV titan Ellen Pompeo. Swift even named her cat, who is now considered the third richest pet in the world, after Hargitay’s famed character. 

Colson and Swift were very similar, as the former said that she had seen every “Law & Order: SVU” episode “probably 20 times.”

She also posted the same video on Instagram, with many fans of the series expressing their happiness and a tinge of jealousy toward Colson for meeting the award-winning actress. 

“So jealous!! Love that show! Love that woman!! I, too, have seen every single episode a minimum of 20 times!!” one fan said. 

“This is so awesome. What are the chances?,” another fan echoed. 

Are you a fan of Mariska Hargitay? Isn’t this encounter incredible? How would you react if you saw your idol unexpectedly? Let us know, and pass this on to your family, friends and other “Law & Order: SVU” fans!