Former NCIS Star Pauley Perrette Alleges Multiple Physical Assaults As Reason For Departure From TV’s Top Rated Drama, CBS Responds, Plus The Mark Harmon Situation Explained.
People reports:
- [Actress Pauley] Perrette has long been a fan favorite of NCIS and in 2017, she was named one of the highest-paid actresses on TV by Forbes. The outlet reported that she made $8.5 million that year. According to TV Guide, Perrette made an estimated $175,000 per episode on the show.
But in October 2017, Perrette announced that she would be leaving NCIS following its 15th season; her final episode aired May 8.
“It is true that I am leaving NCIS after this season,” she wrote in a statement posted to Twitter, which also promised the “network and show are not mad at me.”
“It was a decision made last year,” she explained. “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. All the love, all the laughter, all the inspiration.”
Days after her emotional final episode, Perrette spoke out about her NCIS departure on Twitter, claiming that it was due to “multiple physical assaults.”
On May 15, CBS Television Studios confirmed to PEOPLE in a statement that the actress came forward with a “workplace concern” over a year ago and that it “took the matter seriously.”
Perrette responded on twitter to the CBS statement by saying:
- “I want to thank my studio and network CBS They have always been so good to me and always had my back.“
While Perrette has no indicated who allegedly abused here, her departure may in part stem from Perrette’s tension with series lead Mark Harmon. Radar reports:
- “When Pauley [Perrette] announced her decision to leave the show, Mark [Harmon] was upset because he felt as if it was his fault,” a source told Radar. “Pauley made it extremely difficult for him to do anything about it.”
The insider explained how Harmon, 66, made a “last attempt to reconcile” before filming Perrette’s final episode, which aired on Tuesday, May 8.
“Pauley was having none of it,” the source claimed. “She even completely ignored him any time he tried to make amends.”
Her refusal to end their feud “upset” Harmon.
“He was really trying his best to do what was right, if not for their 15 years of friendship but for the integrity of their characters,” the source said. “Unfortunately, Pauley was too unprofessional to be able to put her opinions aside for the sake of her fans.”
As Radar exclusively reported, Perrette, 49, began feuding with Harmon when he brought his rescue dog Dave to work after he bit a crew member on the set in October 2016. The victim was left with a gash that took 16 stitches to close.
“Mark was obviously horrified and made sure that Dave went through re-training and was frequently checked by his vet,” the source told Radar. “Despite this, Mark made the decision to not bring Dave back to the set.”
But when Harmon was forced to bring his pooch to work because no one could watch him during an 18 to 19-hour shoot, cast and crew were fine with it.
But Perrette, 49, was allegedly “furious” and “refused to listen to him” when he tried to explain the situation.
“After that Pauley just lost it and starting shouting at Mark,” the insider claimed. “She said that he should never have adopted a pitbull in the first place.”
The insider claimed she began to act like “a bit of a diva on set from that point on.”
“She refused to shoot scenes with Mark and she refused to sit on the same side of the table as him at table reads,” the insider alleged. “She even completely ignored him any time he tried to make amends.”
The NCIS Season 15 finale is on tonight.
