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Wilmer Valderrama, star of NCIS, has opened up about being a father, revealing that he “literally” cannot leave his house until his daughter says “I love you.”

The actor, who stars in the hit procedural drama, described fatherhood as “incredible,” adding that his toddler daughter is “so much more active” and “learning to run.”

“She now mumbles, ‘I love you,’” Wilmer, 40, told People magazine. “I literally can’t leave the house to go to work until I hear it.”

“I think every parent can relate to her learning to run and then us realizing she’s always wearing the wrong shoes for that kind of speed,” he explained, adding, “and then knowing that it’s not going to end well at some point and that she’s going to have to learn some hard lessons of balance.”

“That’s been a running theme for the past month.” Wilmer and Amanda Pacheco, 30, welcomed their first child in February 2021.

Wilmer and Amanda welcomed their first child (daughter) in 2021.

Wilmer plays Special Agent Nick Torres in the series, which returned last week with a crossover with NCIS: Hawaii.

In the premiere, the NCIS team enlisted the assistance of their counterparts in Hawaii after Special Agent Alden Parker (Gary Cole) was falsely accused of murd3ring his former FBI partner.

He went on the run with his ex-wife Vivian (guest star Teri Polo) to clear his name, but we saw in the final moments of the previous season that Vivian texted an unknown number to say she “had him.”

Vanessa’s Special Agent Jane Tennant (Vanessa Lachey) and Ernie Malick (Jason Antoon) made an appearance in the original series while in town for a meeting with Director Vance (Rocky Carroll), which set up the crossover that culminated with NCIS: Hawaii’s season opener.

Tony DiNozzo and Ziva David are officially back-and this time, they’re not just partners, they’re parents. NCIS: Tony & Ziva, a brand-new spinoff coming to Paramount+, reunites Michael Weatherly and Cote de Pablo in a fast-paced, romantic, and emotional thriller set against the backdrop of Europe.

The 10-episode series picks up years after their off-screen reunion, with Tony and Ziva raising their 12-year-old daughter, Tali (played by Isla Gie), in Paris. But life in the City of Light doesn’t stay peaceful for long.

When Tony’s private security firm is att4cked, the family is forced to go on the run-racing across Europe to stay ahead of an unknown enemy and uncover who’s after them.

What unfolds is a mix of espionage, danger, and classic Tiva tension. The couple must confront their complicated past, navigate new challenges, and learn to trust each other again-all while keeping their daughter safe.

“This is for the fans who’ve stuck with us all these years,” Weatherly and de Pablo said in a joint statement. “It’s an action-packed roller coaster fueled by love, danger, tears, and laughter.”

In a teaser, de Pablo teased what fans can expect: “Intrigue, romance, the background of Europe, and impossible situations—complicated, but with a little something about love.”

Though the show stands on its own, it’s full of nods to longtime NCIS viewers. Tony originally left the series in Season 13 after learning Ziva-thought to be d3ad-had secretly given birth to Tali. Ziva returned in Season 16, revealing she had faked her d3ath and gone into hiding. Their eventual reunion happened off-screen-until now.

The Paris setting is more than just scenic-it’s a heartfelt callback to their early days undercover together in France, a full-circle moment longtime fans will appreciate.

Weatherly told Variety that filming with de Pablo again felt “surprisingly natural. Informed by the past, illuminated by the present, and trying to see a future together.”

NCIS: Tony & Ziva premieres September 4, 2025, with the first three episodes streaming on Paramount+. New episodes will follow weekly, leading up to the finale on October 23.