When Pauley Perette left NCIS in 2018, fans were heartbroken because she was one of the show’s most recognizable characters. What happened to Abby Sciuto when Pauley Perrette left NCIS? Continue reading to find out what the producers recently had to say about why the fan favorite did in fact leave.
The long-running CBS police drama NCIS made its debut in 2003. The Major Case Response Team of the Naval Criminal Investigation Service, which looks into crimes involving the US Navy, US Marine Corps, and their families, is the subject of the program, which focuses on the personal and professional life of special agents. The third longest-running American primetime drama series, after Law & Order: SVU and Law & Order, is NCIS.
On NCIS, Pauley Perrette portrayed fan-favorite character Abby Sciuto, a quirky forensic scientist and a member of the original NCIS team alongside Mark Harmon, David McCallum, Michael Weatherly and Sasha Alexander. Perrette played the beloved role for 15 years until she left NCIS in 2018 (we’ll dive into her exit, below).
Fans were devastated when Pauley Perette left NCIS in 2018 because she was one of the show’s most recognizable characters. When Pauley Perrette departed NCIS, what happened to Abby Sciuto? To learn what the producers recently had to say about why the fan favorite actually did go, keep reading.
In 2003, the CBS police program NCIS made its debut. The program, which focuses on the personal and professional lives of special agents, is about the Naval Criminal Investigation Service’s Major Case Response Team, which investigates crimes involving the US Navy, US Marine Corps, and their families. After Law & Order: SVU and Law & Order, NCIS is the American primetime drama series with the third-longest run.
Why did Pauley Perrette leave NCIS?
Pauley Perrette left NCIS for what reasons? According to executive producer Charles Floyd Johnson, Perrette left the show following an incident involving Mark Harmon’s dog in September 2023. Being an animal rights activist, Perrette was supposedly worried about the dog’s appearance and potential effects on the program.
“In Pauley Perrette’s case, there was an incident with the show with a dog. 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,” Floyd Johnson said. “And then the dog kept coming with Harmon, and she felt it wasn’t safe for the show. By the end of that year, she just felt like it wasn’t working for her anymore, and it was time to move on.”
NCIS Director James Whitmore, Jr. added, “Diona Reasonover (Kasie Hines) is wonderful and brilliant, and the work is great. But you walk onto that set sometimes, and you miss Pauley.”
At the time her exit was announced, Perrette cleared up rumors and emphasized that the decision for her to leave was made the year prior.
“There has been all kinds of false stories as to why (NO I DON’T HAVE A SKIN CARE LINE AND NO MY NETWORK AND SHOW ARE NOT MAD AT ME!) It was a decision made last year. I hope everyone will love and enjoy EVERYTHING ABBY not only for the rest of this season but for everything she has given all of us for 16 years,” she posted via Twitter. “All the love, all the laughter, all the inspiration…I love her as much as you do.”
Perrette has stated on social media that she has no plans to return to NCIS as a result of the incident with Harmon since she left.
“NO, I AREN’T RETURNING! EVER! Please refrain from asking. I’m afraid Harmon will hurt me or try to harm me. It gives me nightmares. My newest program is SAFE AND HAPPY! You’ll enjoy it! #HappyPlace Love you all. On June 7, 2019, the former actress posted a tweet.
According to Celebrity Net Worth, Perette earned an estimated $200,000 per episode while she was on NCIS. She might have earned close to $4.8 million for a typical 24-episode season. According to Forbes, as of September 2017, the actress had an annual pre-tax income of $8.5 million.