As one of NCIS’ most iconic characters, fans were devastated to see Pauley Perette depart the series in 2018. Why did Pauley Perrette leave NCIS, and what happened to Abby Sciuto? Read on to learn what the producers recently said about why the fan-favorite left after all.
NCIS is CBS’s decades-long police procedural that premiered back in 2003. The show focuses on the personal and professional lives of special agents in the Naval Criminal Investigation Service’s Major Case Response Team, which investigates criminal activity involving the United States Navy, Marine Corps and their families. NCIS remains the third-longest-running U.S. primetime drama series behind Law & Order: SVU and Law & Order.
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).
In Sciuto’s final storyline, M16 Agent Clayton Reeves loses his life while protecting Abby from a hitman who’s been hired to kill her. Although Abby is wounded, she recovers and focuses on the man who arranged the hit, which turns out to be a black ops expert the forensic scientist met earlier. After the incident, Abby resigns from her job and accompanies Clayton’s body back to England. There, she starts a charity to honor Clayton, his mother and the homeless.
But why did the actress leave the procedural, and was it on her own accord? We finally have more insight into Perrette’s shocking and controversial exit thanks to The Hollywood Reporter’s “NCIS Oral History,” in honor of the show’s 20-year anniversary.
Why did Pauley Perrette leave NCIS?
Why did Pauley Perrette leave NCIS? Perrette exited the drama after an incident involving Mark Harmon’s dog, executive producer Charles Floyd Johnson told The Hollywood Reporter in September 2023. Perrette is an advocate for animal rights and was allegedly concerned about the dog’s presence and impact on the show.
“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.
So it is true that I am leaving NCIS…
There have been all kinds of false rumors as to why (NO I DON'T HAVE A SKIN CARE LINE… pic.twitter.com/gugM2a2ckT
— Pauley Perrette (@PauleyP) October 4, 2017
“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.”
Since her departure, Perrette has made it clear on social media that she has no intention to return to NCIS because of the incident with Harmon.
“NO I AM NOT COMING BACK! EVER! (Please stop asking?) I am terrified of Harmon and him attacking me. I have nightmares about it. I have a new show that is SAFE AND HAPPY! You’ll love it! #HappyPlace Love y’all!” the former actress tweeted on June 7, 2019.
NO I AM NOT COMING BACK! EVER! (Please stop asking?) I am terrified of Harmon and him attacking me. I have nightmares about it. I have a new show that is SAFE AND HAPPY! You’ll love it!#HappyPlace Love y’all!
— Pauley Perrette (@PauleyP) June 7, 2019
During her time on NCIS, it’s estimated that Perette made around $200,000 per episode, according to Celebrity Net Worth. For a usual 24-episode season, she could have taken home close to $4.8 million per season. Forbes listed the actress’ yearly pre-tax income at $8.5 million as of September 2017.
NCIS is available to stream on Paramount Plus.
For more on the NCIS cast, check out our gallery below of NCIS salaries and learn which star earned five times more than this supporting actor.
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