Did Perrette leave NCIS because of a pitbull?
After actress Pauley Perrette announced last year that she would be leaving NCIS after 15 seasons, fans were left confused as to why.
Perrette never gave a reason for her departure from the series, even as her tenure came to a close on this season’s finale last week. However, after her final episode aired, Perrette posted several cryptic tweets, claiming she had left the show due to “multiple physical assaults.”
The actress accused a “very rich, very powerful publicity machine” of keeping her silent, adding, “Maybe I’m wrong for not ‘spilling the beans’ Telling the story, THE TRUTH. I feel I have to protect my crew, jobs and so many people. But at what cost? I don’t know.”
She never named who was involved, but did offer an ominous, “he did it.”
In their own vague statement, CBS addressed the incident, saying, “Pauley Perrette had a terrific run on NCIS and we are all going to miss her. Over a year ago, Pauley came to us with a workplace concern. We took the matter seriously and worked with her to find a resolution. We are committed to a safe work environment on all our shows.”
After refusing to address the story further with any other media outlets or through her reps, Perrette did respond to CBS’s statement, writing in a tweet on Tuesday, “I want to thank my studio and network CBS. They have always been so good to me and always had my back.”
While many were quick to assume Perrette was referring to her own possible experience with assault on the set, rumours have since come out suggesting she may have actually been referring to co-star Mark Harmon’s pet dog.
According to RadarOnline, the pair began feuding in 2016 (around the time CBS says they knew Perrette wanted to leave) after Harmon brought his rescue dog, a pitbull named Dave, to the set and he bit a crew member, leaving him with 16 stitches.
Nevertheless, Harmon continued to bring Dave to work. While much of the cast and crew reportedly agreed to this, Perrette grew “furious” and refused to shoot scenes with Harmon, allegedly ignoring him from then on, as she felt “anxiety” whenever Dave was around.
While it’s certainly an unexpected development, it would explain why Perrette and Harmon didn’t share a single scene in her final season.