Like many other long-running television shows, NCIS has added and subtracted actors over the
years. At times, it can be a wonder as to why some stars would say goodbye to their
gigs on the critically acclaimed series. These are the reasons why so many stars left NCIS.
Pauley Perrette played the gothic forensic scientist Abigail Sciuto on NCIS for the
series' first 15 seasons before her shocking exit. As revealed to CBS Sunday Morning,
the three-time People's Choice Awards nominee wanted a break
and didn't like the fame that came along with the role, labeling it "dehumanizing."
"There's never been a character like Abby on television."
Apparently, there was a lot going on behind the scenes. As The Wrap reported, after
Mark Harmon's dog bit a crew member in 2016, his relationship with Perrette soured. Over the years,
Perrette tweeted a number of accusations regarding her time on the show, and in June 2019,
TMZ reported she alleged Harmon body checked her on set in 2017. That same month, she tweeted:
"I am terrified of Harmon and him attacking me. I have nightmares about it."
According to TV Guide, when asked about the allegations at the 2019 TCAs,
CBS President of Entertainment Kelly Kahl told reporters:
"We immediately investigated it and we resolved it to everyone's satisfaction."
In July 2020, Perrette fired off numerous tweets backing a Vanity Fair article that
exposed CBS showrunner Peter Lenkov, who was sacked due to misconduct.
Perrette tweeted about the publication's, quote, "great reporting" and went on to
add that she had heard racist, misogynistic, and homophobic slurs on set. She continued:
"And y'all wondered why I quit? Those producers are still there. All of them. Including HIM."
For 13 seasons, Michael Weatherly assumed the role of special agent Anthony "Tony" DiNozzo on NCIS.
In January 2016, Weatherly announced on Twitter that he'd be retiring from the, quote,
"wonderful, quixotic character." He expressed his gratitude for being a part of NCIS, tweeting:
"I will miss the amazing crew & cast, who are like family to
me, & to the fans all over the world – THANK YOU, it's been a fantastic ride!"
Ahead of Weatherly's final episode on NCIS that spring,
he told Live with Kelly he wanted to play other characters.
"The writing was kind of on the wall for me,
and I realized there were other things that I should probably pursue."
Three months later, Weatherly bluntly told reporters at the Television Critics Association's
summer press tour that he was, quote, "burnt out" and "ready for a new challenge."
Weatherly went on to star as the title character in the CBS drama series Bull,
which began fall 2016. He was later accused of sexual harassment by Bull co-star Eliza Dushku,
who ultimately received a $9.5 million settlement from the network
after being cut from the series. In a statement provided to The New York Times, Weatherly wrote:
"After reflecting on this further, I better understand that what I said was both not
funny and not appropriate and I am sorry and regret the pain this caused Eliza."
Sasha Alexander starred in two back-to-back 24-episode seasons as secret service agent
Caitlin "Kate" Todd before her character was killed off in the Season 2 finale.
In 2012, Alexander explained to TV Guide she was feeling overwhelmed with the pace of working,
quote, "10½ months a year, 17 hours a day." She called it "hard core." The creator behind
the crime drama, Don Bellisario, recalled to the Chicago Tribune in 2005 that Alexander had, quote,
"tears in her eyes" and told him that she "just can't work this hard."
Bellisario convinced the brass at CBS to let Alexander out of her contract, telling them:
"You don't want to force someone to work when she says this is not what she expected it to be."
Ultimately, the series dropped an unexpected bombshell in the finale, and Alexander went on
to star in Rizzoli & Isles for seven seasons, in addition to being a recurring guest star on
Shameless. It looks like killing off Special Agent Todd was a win-win for both parties.
Jennifer "Jenny" Shepard was introduced on NCIS in 2005 as the director of the titular agency.
She was played by Lauren Holly, who became a series regular from
seasons three through five before her departure was announced in 2008.
At the time, Holly explained on her website that her character was originally intended
to be a guest-starring arc for about six episodes.
Instead, they brought her on as a regular, and she stuck around for multiple seasons.
Holly enjoyed playing a minor character as it allowed her to spend time with her family,
but as the show progressed, she, quote, "got bored" with the role. Some behind the scenes
drama may not have sat well with her either. According to a 2007 report from TV Guide, NCIS
star Mark Harmon and showrunner Don Bellisario butted heads and, ultimately, the latter left.
Holly wrote she was, quote, "saddened that Don Bellisario was forced out" and "missed him a lot."
"And I don't think that's right."
Furthermore, in 2020, Holly seemed to back Pauley Perrette's tweets
regarding the toxic culture within the CBS HR department. In one tweet, Perrette wrote:
"Some words were EXACTLY what I and SO MANY went to @CBS #HR about THAT OTHER
GUY'S abuse for over a decade y'all STILL support him on my old show."
Holly quote-tweeted the post, writing, "...waiting."
Cote de Pablo was a regular cast member on NCIS for eight seasons
playing Ziva David before her character was written off in 2013. Six years later,
De Pablo made a surprise return to the series in the Season 16 finale.
"I think the fans have been waiting for this. I
think there's a part of my heart that's been waiting for this."
So why did she leave in the first place?
De Pablo told USA Today in 2019 that she was, quote, "not ready to talk about"
what transpired that led to her character being written off as a regular in 2013.
She further revealed that "someday" she would tell the full story, and added:
"I didn't leave because I wanted to go or because
I was ready or because I was tired. I didn't really have an option."
She told ET Canada that being away from the show did help her "rekindle"
relationships in her personal life with the extra time on her hands.
While it appears De Pablo was forced out of the series, she has remained on good terms
with the cast and crew. All things point to her original departure leaning towards being
a creative decision rather than any sort of foul play behind the scenes. The series
certainly has left the door open for De Pablo to potentially make another appearance down the road.
Introduced to the NCIS universe in Season 13's final two episodes,
Duane Henry played Clayton Reeves as a series regular
on the following two seasons. Near the end of Season 15, Reeves was killed off the show.
In 2018, Henry revealed to TVLine that his character was the creation
of former showrunner Gary Glasberg, who died in 2016.
"When Gary passed, I was feeling a bit of panic in people’s faces.
I could tell that they were not really sure [what the future held].
I kind of got my bearings together and thought, 'What’s going to happen now with the character?'
I live in a world called You Never Know, so I’m always prepared for everything."
Perhaps the two years felt like a bonus, as Henry told CBS he was grateful for the
fact that his character's exit was such an important moment in the show's history, and
echoed similar sentiments on social media. Henry posted a heartfelt message on Twitter, saying:
"It is one of the toughest things I've ever had to deal with [...] saying goodbye
to playing Clayton Reeves with a great cast and incredible crew."
As he told TVLine, his character sacrificing his life for Pauley Perrette's Abby was an
honor, as Perrette had taken him in when he was homeless during the show's production.
All in all, Henry left on good terms and
was happy the writers gave his character a heroic conclusion.
Muse Watson had been a recurring guest star on NCIS since 2006. The Louisiana
native assumed the role of Mike Franks, a character who meets his demise in Season 8.
In 2011, NCIS's then-executive producer Gary Glasberg
explained that killing off Watson's character was difficult, telling Entertainment Weekly:
"We love Muse Watson, we love the character, their relationship is very special and unique."
A year later, an NCIS fan asked Watson why he left the show and Watson tweeted back:
"Because they wrote that i got stabbed by ONE young man with a scapple.
LOL ..and yes i was packin."
Mix Watson's humorous tone in his tweet, and Glasberg's affection for Watson,
and it seems like Franks being stabbed to death was for the sake of the show's shock value.
Watson's exit was on such good terms that despite being killed off,
the actor has reprised his role on the CBS hit as an angel and in flashback sequences.
"I didn't see this coming."
"Ain't life grand?"
Pancho Demmings played Gerald Jackson on NCIS for 15 episodes. Jackson is kidnapped in the Season
3 premiere, then makes a return in the following episode where he tells his comrades what happened.
Fifteen seasons later, Jackson's storyline has yet to be revisited.
The abandoned storyline is one of NCIS's biggest unanswered questions,
which still has fans wondering what happened to Jackson. Ask Demmings, and it looks like
he's in the same boat when it comes to this mystery. In 2020, the actor told Showbiz Cheat
Sheet that his character was put on "hiatus" after his 13-episode run in Season 1, adding:
"Initially, I think they were looking at extending my storyline."
But when his brief resurgence ended after his two-episode arc in Season 3, Demmings said:
"I guess they ended up choosing to go in another direction."
Demmings expressed that his exit was certainly nothing he asked for, telling the outlet he
would still be willing to reprise his character to provide "closure" to Jackson's storyline.
"I always say that if they want Gerald to end up back in, I could probably still
get into those scrubs and, you know, the field coveralls. I still probably could."
Zoe McLellan was introduced as special agent Meredith "Merri" Brody on Season
11 of NCIS in 2014. Later that year, she joined the cast of the then-new NCIS:
New Orleans spinoff, where she was a lead actor for two seasons before getting the boot in 2016.
Ahead of New Orleans' third season, TVLine reported McLellan wouldn't be
returning to reprise her role due to, quote, "a creative decision." As the situation unfolded,
it turned out this decision involved some controversy. In 2017, Variety reported there were
allegations that then-NCIS: New Orleans showrunner Brad Kern, who took over the role in January 2016,
mistreated female colleagues. Sources told the outlet Kern was behind the firing of McLellan.
CBS did fire Kern in 2018, as reported by The Hollywood Reporter. In 2019, the series original
showrunner Jeffrey Lieber admitted to Vulture he received a, quote, "great deal of pressure"
to fire McLellan during his stint in 2014 and 2015. Although he used audience feedback and
test scores to prove McLellan was well-received and deserved to stay, Lieber revealed a higher up
allegedly informed him that CBS chairman Leslie Moonves apparently wanted her gone because he,
quote, "didn't find her 'f---able' enough, and that he had felt that way from day one."
While McLellan has yet to comment on the allegations,
she has stayed busy working on other projects. She landed a recurring guest
star role on Suits, and joined the cast of Designated Survivor in 2017.
Lucas Black was introduced as agent Christopher LaSalle on a Season 11 episode of NCIS
before starring in the spinoff series NCIS: New Orleans. Through 142 episodes he was a cast member
until early Season 6 when his character was killed off. So why did the fan favorite character leave?
Although the star said the series, quote,
"exceeded my expectations," the time commitment was something he wanted a break from.
"This job isn't easy for me. There's a lot of priorities in my life that get sacrificed."
Black added that leaving the show would allow him to, quote, "focus on those priorities."
In an Instagram video, the actor thanked his fans and signed off saying it was an "honor"
to play LaSalle. His co-star Daryl "Chill" Mitchell explained he felt bittersweet about
Black's departure but was happy for him, knowing that he'd been in the industry since
childhood. Mitchell recalled telling Black, quote, "Dude, you deserve it."
Unlike the bleak demise of LaSalle, all signs suggest that Black's exit was on good terms.
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