This Was Cote De Pablo's Nickname For Wilmer Valderrama On The NCIS Set

Despite Cote de Pablo's official exit from "NCIS" in 2013, the actor and her role as Special Agent Ziva David are still hugely popular with fans. Perhaps it's no wonder, given how kind and lovely she seems to be on set, at least if this anecdote is any indication.

De Pablo debuted on the long-running CBS series in its Season 3 premiere in 2005. Ziva's former Israeli Mossad agent proved to be a beloved character, with fans clamoring for more — particularly regarding her budding romance with Michael Weatherly's Tony DiNozzo. But de Pablo left the show in 2013, perhaps because she was unhappy with the direction her character was headed, after Season 11's second episode. She was too popular though, and CBS pulled out all the stops to keep her, apparently offering her "a lot of money" and then "even more money," as former CBS CEO Les Moonves told the Television Critics Association (via CBS News). It wasn't enough for de Pablo to stay then, but she did return for five guest episodes in 2019 and '20.

When they brought Ziva back after six years away at the end of Season 16 (having apparently faked her own death, per Showbiz Cheat Sheet), de Pablo told the women of "The Talk" that "it was like going back home." She also had lovely things to say about her castmates, including new friend Wilmer Valderrama, who plays special agent Nick Torres on the series. She even gave Valderrama a new nickname.

Though Wilmer Valderrama's character Nick Torres hadn't debuted on "NCIS" during Cote de Pablo's first run on the series, they met when she came back in 2019. Fans met Nick with the Season 14 premiere in 2016, three years after de Pablo had left, but the two actors didn't seem to have any trouble getting along when she made her triumphant return. They both joined in the already-close cast, and they became so friendly that she dubbed him a lovely new nickname.

"We spent an entire day working together, and I have to say, he was cracking me up in every take," de Pablo told the hosts of "The Talk" in her December 2019 visit. "He was so funny. At one point, I turned to him and I said, 'Your name is no longer Wilmer Valderrama. It's Wilmer Wonderrama.'"

Apparently, de Pablo has a habit of giving people nicknames, as Maria Menounos found out when de Pablo joined her on "Extra" in 2013. When the actor greeted the host as "Menuni," Menounos laughed and implied she had taken Michael Weatherly's nickname for her (which is apparently a letter off), but de Pablo was quick to correct her. "I give everyone nicknames and that's been my thing since day one."

Given her friendly relationship with her castmates, and of course, her incredible response from audiences, it's not surprising that Cote de Pablo's fans are clinging to any possible hint that their favorite might return to the show, in some way or another.

One hint that got fans excited in March 2021 was the idea that de Pablo could return to the forthcoming spinoff, "NCIS: Hawaii," which bowed in September 2021. However, in March, no casting information had yet been announced, and fans hoped that de Pablo's Ziva Davis would return to lead the team in Hawaii, according to Showbiz Cheat Sheet. Fans based this idea on one simple clue: de Pablo's IMDb page. Not because of what it said, but because of what it didn't say.

It appears that de Pablo is not working on any forthcoming projects, as nothing is listed as such on her page. The latest credit there is "NCIS" from 2020, but that was enough for fans to get their hopes up, thinking she must be keeping her schedule clear for her inevitable return. But since the new series is finishing up its first season, with Vanessa Lachey in the lead, it seems their hopes were once again dashed. Perhaps someday de Pablo will return again and please her diehard fans.