‘NCIS’ Season 13 Spoilers: Cote de Pablo’s Ziva David may not be returning for Michael Weatherly farewell

“NCIS” Season 13, Episode 22 (“Homefront”) aired May 3 on CBS without an appearance by Michael Weatherly’s Tony DiNozzo. FLOTUS Michelle Obama makes a special appearance, instead. Meanwhile, it has been somewhat confirmed that Cote de Pablo’s Ziva David is not returning for Weatherly’s departure in the upcoming season finale.

Spoiler alert: This update contains “NCIS” Season 13 spoilers for those who have not watched this week’s new episode.

NCIS Director Leon Vance (Rocky Carroll) and Tobias Fornell (Joe Spano) continue their mission to hunt down British spy Jacob Scott (Vince Nappo), who murdered former NCIS director and Homeland Security chief Tom Morrow (Alan Dale). The two bosses work with crumbs from DiNozzo, who stays off-camera in the entire episode.

The hunt for Scott continues even as Fornell’s life hangs in the balance by the end of “NCIS” Season 13, Episode 22. This Scott arc is going to connect directly to Weatherly’s NCIS exit in the finale.

Cote de Pablo not returning in NCIS Season 13, even for Michael Weatherly

In the last week of April, fans of Cote de Pablo received a ‘confirmed’ update that the actress is not reprising her role as Ziva David. De Pablo spoke at Babson College in Massachusetts and revealed the real reason why she left “NCIS” after eight years.

Meanwhile, “NCIS” show boss Gary Glasberg has not directly told the media that Tony and Ziva will not reunite in the Season 13 finale. He did, however, say that Ziva has greatly influenced Tony’s life.

FLOTUS Michelle Obama gives NCIS Special Agent Leroy Gibbs a shout-out!

Meanwhile, Leroy Gibbs (Mark Harmon), McGee (Sean Murray) and the rest of the NCIS team work on a case that highlights the essence of Joining Forces, an initiative launched by the FLOTUS and Dr. Jill Biden. It aims to support service members, veterans, and their families to help ease the burdens that comes with life in service. See the FLOTUS’ tweet below.

Weatherly talks ‘NCIS’ Season 13 exit scenes with Tony, Abby and Gibbs

Speaking to TV Insider, Weatherly said his character Tony’s farewell scene with Pauley Perrette’s Abby Sciuto is “very, very beautiful,” while his final scene with Mark Harmon’s Leroy Jethro Gibbs is “very satisfying.” Perrette, however, said she “was a mess.”

Weatherly admits Cote de Pablo’s Ziva David is part of his reason for leaving NCIS

Weatherly did not deny he missed a lot after the departure of Cote de Pablo’s Ziva David. He described their dynamic as “great.”

“[The Tony-Ziva dynamic] was gone, and then I got to the point where I felt I’d stayed at the party for too long,” he told TV Insider.

The next "NCIS" Season 13 episode will air on May 10, while the season finale air date on CBS is May 17.