You probably know her as Ziva David. The Mossad-officer-turned-agent who could dismantle a Glock in seconds and broke hearts across the globe with a single look at Tony DiNozzo. But if you call her Maria Jose de Pablo, most people—even die-hard NCIS fans—might give you a blank stare.
That’s because the world knows her as Cote de Pablo.
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The nickname wasn't some Hollywood rebranding or a marketing ploy cooked up by an agent in a glass office. It was actually a survival tactic from the fifth grade. When she moved from Santiago, Chile, to Miami at age 10, her classmates simply couldn't pronounce Maria Jose. To save everyone the trouble, she adopted "Cote," a common Chilean diminutive.
Honestly, it’s kinda poetic. Her entire career has been a mix of that same practical adaptability and a fierce refusal to be what people expect.
The Reality of the NCIS Exit
For years, the internet was obsessed with why she left NCIS in 2013 at the height of the show's power. People speculated about money, ego, or behind-the-scenes drama.
The truth? It was about respect for the character.
In various interviews over the years, she’s been blunt: she felt the scripts weren't doing Ziva justice anymore. She didn't want the character she built—a woman of immense strength and complicated grief—to become a background prop. She chose to walk away from a massive paycheck because the "creative" wasn't there.
That’s rare in TV. Most actors ride the wave until the wheels fall off.
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Life in 2026: The "Tony & Ziva" Era
If you’ve been keeping up lately, you know that 2025 was a massive year for her. The premiere of NCIS: Tony & Ziva on Paramount+ finally gave fans the "Tiva" reunion they’d been begging for since the Obama administration.
Watching her back on screen as Ziva in 2025 and early 2026 feels... different. She’s older, sure, but so is the character. The show focused on Tony and Ziva raising their daughter, Tali, while on the run in Europe. It wasn't just a procedural; it was a character study on trauma and parenting.
Surprisingly, despite the massive hype, the series was recently canceled after just one season in late 2025. It’s a bit of a gut punch for the fans who waited a decade. Cote and Michael Weatherly released a joint statement recently, basically saying they were just happy to finally give the characters a "happily ever after" of sorts.
Some quick facts about her career path:
- Co-hosted the talk show Control at just 15 years old.
- Graduated from Carnegie Mellon University (BFA in Drama).
- Almost made her Broadway debut in The Mambo Kings, but the show was pulled before it reached NYC.
- Within 48 hours of being cast in NCIS, her character was changed from Czech to Israeli, and she had to learn a Hebrew monologue overnight.
Why She’s Still "The One That Got Away" for Hollywood
Cote de Pablo is a bit of an anomaly in the 2026 social media landscape. She isn't on Instagram. She doesn't post TikToks of her morning coffee.
She once told an interviewer that she finds the constant "sharing" of one's life to be a bit much. If you want to see her, you have to watch her work. That privacy has created a mystique that most modern actors don't have.
She’s also a singer. Most people forget that. She performed a cover of Tom Waits’s "Temptation" on NCIS, and her voice is actually incredible—husky, soulful, and completely unlike the "pop" sound you’d expect from a TV star.
What’s Next?
Now that the Tony & Ziva spin-off has wrapped, what’s the move?
Honestly, she’ll probably disappear for a while. That’s her pattern. She retreats to her home in the hills or visits family in Chile to recharge. But she’s also mentioned a growing interest in producing. After executive producing the spin-off, she’s seen the power of being behind the camera.
She also recently shared that she has become a mother in real life. That’s likely where her focus is right now—navigating the real-world version of the motherhood she just portrayed on screen.
Practical Insights for Fans
- Don't hold your breath for a Season 2: With the cancellation of the spin-off, the "Tiva" story is officially on ice again.
- Watch the deep cuts: If you only know her as Ziva, find the miniseries The Dovekeepers. It’s some of her best dramatic work.
- Respect the privacy: You won't find her on "Official" social channels. Any account claiming to be her is almost certainly a fan page.
If you want to keep up with her actual moves, keep an eye on trade publications like Variety or The Hollywood Reporter. She doesn't do "leaks"; she does announcements.
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To dive deeper into her filmography, your best bet is to revisit the "Ziva Departure" arc in NCIS Season 11. It remains some of the most-watched television for a reason: because Maria Jose de Pablo—Cote—brought a soul to that character that simply couldn't be replaced.
Check out her performance of "Gracias a la Vida" in the film The 33 to hear her vocal range.