Pauley Perrette shattered the stereotype of a ‘forensic scientist’ when she portrayed the
character Abby Sciuto in the hugely popular show, NCIS. With her trademark jet-black ponytails,
stylish chokers, quick comebacks, and a positive and eccentric personality,
she became an unprecedented character in the world of crime dramas.
NCIS fans were left in shock when Perrette quit the crime drama after more than 15 years,
citing ‘multiple physical assaults’ by her co-star Mark Harmon.
The 52 year-old first announced her departure in 2017, revealing she had made the decision
one year prior. “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,” Perrette wrote bidding
goodbye to her beloved character. “All the love, all the laughter, all the inspiration.
I love her as much as you do.” Right after her final NCIS episode aired in
May 2018, Perrette caused quite a stir by firing numerous tweets alleging that a “machine” was
keeping her “silent” and “feeding false stories” about her. She also suggested being a victim
of “multiple physical assaults,” but provided no concrete explanation or evidence. Two days later,
she - however - thanked the CBS team and said the network had “always been so good” to her.
For many fans, it wasn’t exactly hard to guess who the tweets were aimed at,
because it had been common knowledge that Perrette and her co-star Mark Harmon had
a fallout on the sets. It’s not unusual for actors to fight over salaries, screen time,
trailer size, among other things, but this one started with a dog. According to Vanity Fair,
Mark’s dog bit an unidentified crew member, who then required 15 stitches.
After the incident, Mark allegedly continued to bring the dog on the sets which his attorney
vehemently denied. Perrette spoke up about the matter which caused a rift between the co-stars.
The issue escalated so badly the two actors were reportedly never in the same room together,
and always filmed on different days. Even her last scene with Mark,
where they appeared side by side, was edited. However, things got more muddled when an insider
clarified that Perrette had decided to quit the show before the dog incident even occurred.
Since her controversial exit from the hit show, Perrette largely remained out of the spotlight,
but that didn’t mean she wasn’t doing anything noteworthy. She has been actively involved
in various charities - always requesting her followers to donate to their favorite
charities on her birthday. She worked for the Red Cross along with Habitat for Humanity
and set up the ‘Pauley Perrette Forensic Science Scholarship’ to pave paths for people who wanted
to get into forensic science. In 2018, the actress pleaded with people to vote against *quote*
‘bigotry’ during the midterm elections, clearly taking digs at then president Donald Trump.
When Perrette quit NCIS, she revealed she was done with acting for good. “I told everyone,
‘I’m retired. I’m going to sit on my couch with my dogs and drink beer for a while.”
But that sentiment didn’t last long as she graced the TV screens back with her next big
project - the CBS show, titled ‘Broke’. An ecstatic Perrette shared the trailer
in June 2019, saying, “The Good Stuff. Sorry about the former truths. This is the future.
(Gap year and lots of therapy!) Just needed to tell the truth and move on! Love you guys!”
Ahead of Broke’s premiere, Perrette revealed to USA Today that she “needed to breathe” after
working on CIS for over 15 seasons. “I needed to stop. I’ve had such an insanely interesting life,
just being in film and television and criminal science,” she said. “I wanted to do absolutely
nothing. It turns out I was great at it.” In the show, she portrayed Jackie,
a single mother, and bartender who had to live with her formerly wealthy sister, brother-in-law,
and nephew when they went bankrupt. The character was a complete departure from
her stint as a forensic scientist and allowed her to bring her comedy skills to the forefront.
In June 2019, the CBS star took to Twitter again and accused her former co-star Mark
Harmon of Abuse And Intimidation, “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!” Mark refused to comment on the allegations
put forward by Perrette, and so did CBS. But, when the network started getting a
lot of heat from Perrette’s fans and the media, the president of CBS Entertainment Kelly Kahl
addressed Perrette’s claims, saying the workplace concern the actor had was investigated
and resolved to everyone’s satisfaction. She also elaborated further saying had the
issues remained unresolved, the actor wouldn’t have worked with the team for one more year.
Talking to USA Today, Perrette explained the situation,
“It’s nothing that I have any need to talk about again, other than one thing:
I’m certainly grateful for having the opportunity to play that character and I always will be”. Now,
it seems the star has put the tweets and the show behind her and moved on with her life.
Perrette rediscovered her music roots and released a new song called “Spin Out” on her
Twitter feed in March 2020, suggesting there were many more unreleased songs under her belt. Broke
was canceled after just one season, and its last episode aired on the 25th of June, 2020. Perrette
was quoted saying the sitcom “changed her life”. In July, she announced her retirement from acting.