What Happened to Leslie Odom, Jr.'s Reverend Curtis Scott on Law & Order: SVU? (2024)

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Odom played Reverend Curtis Scott, an New York priest who crossed paths with the SVU during several investigations. Appearing in seven episodes from 2013 to 2015, Scott usually appeared during cases centered around the unfair treatment of minorities. He is a passionate civil rights activist who employs his vast network of media connections to become a loudspeaker for the unheard. Throughout his appearances, Scott was ceaselessly tenacious — even during cases where he didn't have all the information or trusted the wrong people.

"The Reverend likes to show up and cause a little bit of trouble," Odom told The Source. "He’s a catfish. He likes to show up and prod the police department, and prod city officials to take action really in matters of race relations in the city. I have a whole lot of fun with it. I’m so happy whenever they invite me back."

Scott was first introduced in Season 15, Episode 3 ("American Tragedy") after an unarmed Black teenager named Mehcad Carter (Moise Morancy) was shot and killed by celebrity chef Jolene Castille (Cybill Shepherd) when she incorrectly believed he fit the description of an at-large rapist. Scott visited the Carter family at the hospital and took an interest in defending the teenager's posthumous reputation and assisting the family in raising awareness for the cause. Once the actual rapist was revealed and Jolene was exposed as a trigger-happy racist, Scott attended her murder trial to speak as a character witness for Mehcad in hopes of seeing the celebrity go behind bars.

The trial was messy as Jolene insisted she was acting in self-defense and denied any racist claims. Scott was irritated by Rafael Barba (Raúl Esparza) for feeling that the ADA hadn't properly defended Mehcad's character against the legal opposition's slanderous claims. Scott's worries were confirmed when Jolene was ultimately found not guilty, a massive upset to the Carter family and their many supporters.

After first brushing shoulders with the SVU, Scott made several other appearances in the NBC nail-biter. In Season 15, Episode 6 ("October Surprise"), Scott was seen endorsing SenatorAlex Muñoz (Vincent Laresca) in his campaign to become Mayor. Scott was a proud sponsor for Muñoz due to thinking he was the city's ticket toward urban renewal, but that endorsem*nt became problematic after Muñoz was arrested for sexting a minor. Scott chastized Barba for his role in the Senator's downfall due to his community missing out on Muñoz's political agenda, indicating that the Reverend's moral compass isn't as finely tuned as the priest projected.

Scott popped up again in Season 15, Episode 11 ("Amaro's One-Eighty") after former SVU detective Nick Amaro (Danny Pino) mistakenly shot a teenager after falsely believing the kid was armed and shooting at NYPD officers. The snafu led to media mayhem, fueled by Scott's fury over what he felt was a racially motivated shooting. Scott and former Captain Donald Cragen (Dann Florek) verbally duked it out over the incident, and Scott threateningly reminded him that all eyes were on the unit to see how Amaro would be punished.

At a subsequent press conference, Scott made a grand statement about the heinous racial optics of the shooting, further tarnishing Amaro's reputation and the SVU's credibility. Despite his actions being by the book, Amaro's pristine protocol couldn't erase the fact that the teenager was unarmed. Amaro was ultimately not indicted, but his reputation within the NYPD was forever sullied.

Scott returned in Season 15, Episode 18 ("Criminal Stories") after an Arabian woman was assaulted, leading Scott to visit Olivia Benson (Mariska Hargitay) to share his belief that she was raped due to her appearance. Scott was convinced it was a racially motivated hate crime and reminded Benson that city residents don't trust the NYPD to properly navigate a hate crime — but they did trust him.

After a reporter published an article claiming Heba lied about her assault, Scott corralled a community of supporters and journalists to raise awareness of her cause. After Scott teamed up with the SVU to uncover the truth, it was revealed that the assault was not a hate crime, and the survivor ultimately accepted a settlement from her assailants. Scott and the SVU were saddened by the fallout.

In Season 16 of SVU, Scott returned in Episode 8 ("Spousal Privilege") to advocate for an athlete (Chad L. Coleman) accused of domestic violence against his longtime partner, Paula (Meagan Good). The woman refused to testify against her abuser, claiming that it wasn't her partner's fault and that she wasn't victimized. Scott testified at the trial and commended the husband for his character, but after Barba nailed his cross-examination, the abuser was found guilty. Scott was gobsmacked by the ruling and the realization he advocated for a convicted criminal.

Scott's sometimes-sage advice made another appearance in Episode 21 ("Perverted Justice") after a woman within his congregation met with him to confess that she lied about being raped by her father, who was imprisoned for the incestuous charge. She asked Scott for help in recanting her original testimony, leading Scott to reach out to his lawyers to get the father exonerated, leading him to ask Benson and the SVU for help proving his innocence.