More information regarding Pauley Perrette’s decision to depart the CBS serial Abby Sciuto was just provided by an executive producer of “NCIS.”
When a beloved actor departs from a show that fans like, it’s always a blow. Devoted fans will probably conjecture about the true motives behind a cast member’s exit. The situation gets much more interesting when you include in rumors of turmoil occurring in the workplace behind closed doors. Consider the hugely popular NCIS on CBS. Over the course of its 20 seasons, a number of well-known stars have left the popular program. However, none have made as much news as Pauley Perrette, who played Abby Sciuto, when she decided not to return to the procedural drama in 2017.
Pauley Perrette had concerns about ‘NCIS’ co-star Mark Harmon’s dog
Several NCIS insiders recently chatted with The Hollywood Reporter for an oral history of the JAG spinoff. Along with revelations about the surprising actors who were considered for the show – including Andrew McCarthy and Jennifer Aniston – were some fresh insights about several high-profile cast changes.
Perrette left NCIS at the end of season 15. Soon after her last episode aired, reports surfaced of on-set conflict between her and series star Mark Harmon, who played Gibbs. According to a report from The Wrap, Harmon had brought his dog to the set, where it bit a crew member. Perrette stood up for NCIS staffers who were concerned about the dog’s continued presence on set. That apparently led to a conflict with Harmon. The result? Perrette never shared the screen with Harmon during her final season on the show, with the actors filming their scenes on separate days.
NCIS executive producer Charles Floyd Johnson touched on the circumstances of Perrette’s departure when talking with The Hollywood Reporter.
“In Pauley Perrette’s case, there was an incident with the show with a dog,” he said. “The dog was Harmon’s, and apparently the dog bit someone. Pauley was a huge, huge SPCA [Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals] animal person. And then the dog kept coming with Harmon, and she felt it wasn’t safe for the show.”
The Abby Sciuto actor decided ‘it was time to move on’ from ‘NCIS’
It appears from Johnson’s remarks that Perrette’s choice to leave NCIS was influenced by the circumstances surrounding Harmon’s dog.
“She just felt like it wasn’t working for her anymore by the end of that year, and it was time to move on,” he recounted.
Those who worked on the program reacted deeply when Abby Sciuto, one of the most beloved characters on television at the time, left. Even though Kasie Hines (played by Diona Reasonover) replaced Abby as the NCIS forensic scientist, things weren’t quite the same on NCIS.
“Diona Reasonover is wonderful and brilliant, and the work is great. But you walk onto that set sometimes, and you miss Pauley,” director NCIS director James Whitmore Jr. said.
“Pauley Perrette made Abby one of the most beloved characters on television in the 21st century,” former CBS Entertainment president Glenn Geller said.
What is Pauley Perrette doing now?
After leaving NCIS, Perrette went on to star in the CBS sitcom Broke. It premiered in 2020 and lasted one season. In September 2022, the actor revealed she’d had a stroke a year earlier.
“It’s a one-year anniversary since I had a stroke. And I’m still here,” she shared in a video posted to X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.
“Yes, I’m still here, again,” she went on to say before touching on several traumatic events she’d endured. “How many times do I cheat death? Like I almost died from a hair dye allergy. I have food allergies, I’m a domestic violence and a rape survivor. I was assaulted by a crazy homeless person and almost died and I’m still here. I’m feeling really grateful and especially for all my rescue dogs that are over there. And I’m here, I’m still here, I feel good. I’ve been through a lot in the last two years.”