Pauley Perrette bowed out of the procedural, NCIS, in 2018 after 15 years on the show. Fifty-three-year-old Perrette's exit at the end of season 15 of NCIS came as a shock to fans.On the show, her character resigned after an assassination attempt, but according to multiple reports, the real reason she left was due to a falling out the actress had with lead actor Mark Harmon. This rumor was only heightened when Abby's farewell to his character, Gibbs, via a letter but to the other colleagues in person.Since leaving the show, Pauley Perrette appeared on a short-lived comedy and since then has retired. Recently, it was revealed she suffered from some serious health issues but was currently doing better.
9 Pauley Perrette Is Best Known For Playing Abby Sciuto On NCIS
Pauley Perrette was known for playing quirky forensic scientist Abby Sciuto in the long-running procedural show. She was beloved for her alternative style of dressing and bubbly personality.
“With Abby, “[NCIS creator Don Bellisario] wanted to take an alternative-style person with tattoos and make her someone who is happy, totally put together and successful,” Perrette said of Abby in a 2007 interview. “All the script said about her was: black hair, caffeinated and smart… She’s completely unaware that anybody thinks she looks weird. She thinks she looks pretty and never calls herself anything other than happy.”
She left the show in 2018. Reportedly, the catalyst for her departure was a 2016 dispute she had with co-star and executive producer Mark Harmon over a dog bite.
“Pauley Perrette had a terrific run on N.C.I.S. 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," CBS said after Perrette complained about Harmon's dangerous dog being brought on set.
8 Pauley Perrette's First Role After NCIS
Following her departure from NCIS, Pauley Perrette briefly return to screens to star in the CBS sitcom Broke, where she played the lead role. However, the comedy show was canceled after just one season.
In the comedy series, Perrette starred with Jaime Camil as Jackie sharp-witted but struggling single mom with a nine-year-old son. Broke was predominately about the relationship with Miguel (Camil), an outrageously wealthy trust fund baby who is cut off by his father, and her estranged sister Jackie (Perrette) after they move in with her.
After the show was canceled the actress tweeted, “About the ‘limited series’ #BROKE Many new episodes are airing. This show restored my faith in people, in this industry. SO GRATEFUL I worked with this cast & crew Best people I’ve EVER worked with. Healed me. Changed me. Made me whole. So Blessed.”
7 Pauley Perrette Retired From Acting In 2020
In 2020, the actress announced that she had officially retired from acting. After 40 years in the industry, Pauley Perrette wanted to live a life without wondering about how it affected her career. As soon as she stopped being under contract, she transformed her look.
“Actually I retired after NCIS but BROKE was important, beautiful. I did my last dance & am proud of it! Everyone that knows me knew I was retiring right after. I’m proud of my work. I love you guys! I AM FREE!!! (To be the tiny little simple human I am!),” she tweeted.
6 What Pauley Perrette Says Is The Best Thing About Retirement
Pauley Perrette hasn’t publicly acknowledged her exit from NCIS or her feud with Harmon since deleting Tweets about it in 2019. However, she has made it clear she will never return to the show, not even for a cameo.
The beloved star also just revealed that leaving Hollywood behind has helped her discover who her real friends are.
“The most interesting thing about saying you are retired is checking who is or who is not still your friend. (SHE CAN’T HELP MY CAREER NOW?!?!?!) Fascinating! And VERY TELLING! #SociologyMajor #Studying #Hollywood #celebrities,” Perrette tweeted in April 2021.
She followed that Tweet up by writing, “JSYK [Just so you know]! I have WAY MORE than my share of AMAZING friends and family I’m just here on earth studying this [Bizarre Human Experiment] and WOW! The entertainment industry is CRAZY CRAZY CRAZY! Love y’all!!!”
5 Pauley Perrette Changed Her Look
After leaving NCIS, Pauley Perrette changed her iconic gothic look by changing her distinctive black hair. She dyed her hair bright rainbow colors. Perrette is actually a natural blonde. It is no surprise that she wanted to stop with the black hair dye after suffering a serious allergic reaction.
During a 2015 interview with Queen Latifah, the actress spoke about a frightening moment PDP allergy.
"I’m blonde, and I’ve been dyeing my hair for over a decade. So, I started getting a little irritation. I didn’t figure out that it was from hair dye because I had been doing it for so long. And then I kind of start associating, and I was like this has something to do with hair dye. I didn’t worry about it too much."
"And what’s interesting about it and the reason I want people to know about it, and the reason I tweeted that lovely picture of myself is because it’s an acquired allergy that you get if you’ve been dyeing your hair black for a really long time. So, you don’t suddenly get it, but it can be fatal," she added.
She was determined to keep the look, even after the incident. “A lot of people were like ‘Oh no, go blonde.’ And I’m like, I don’t think the world is ready for a blonde Abby. I’m not ready for a blonde Abby.”
4 Pauley Perrette Suffered A 'Massive Stroke'
Recently, Pauley Perrette opened up about overcoming a "massive stroke" that she suffered one year ago and how she is celebrating being alive.
"One year ago I had a massive stoke," the New-Orleans born actress shared in a Twitter post. "Before that I lost so many beloved family and friends, And daddy And then Cousin Wayne Yet still a survivor after this traumatic life I’ve been given so far… And still so grateful, Still so full of faith, And STILL HERE!"
The star woke up one morning and couldn’t feel the right side of her body. She assumed she had just slept in an odd position and thought nothing of it, but as she became more aware, she realized it was much worse.
She couldn’t tell if her finger was touching her face, and they could have “cut my finger off and wouldn’t have known.” . Her doctor advised her to visit the emergency department immediately, so she drove there immediately.
“Walked into the ER and said, ‘Hey, I can’t feel the right-hand side of my body and…’ BAM! OMG! I was on a gurney with a million things stuck in my arms and a bunch of medical people rushing me somewhere,” she told ET. “They know how serious a stroke is and how immediate care is imperative.”
3 How Pauley Perrette Paid Tribute To Her Late Father
Pauley Perrette lost her father in 2021 to Covid-19.
"One year ago my beloved dad died of #Covid. His political party told him it was fake and like hundreds of thousands others they killed him with that," she revealed.
Her post continued, "There were no vaccines then just exhausted health care workers, dead bodies all over and me saying goodbye on a nurse's cell phone."
2 Pauley Perrette Becomes A Vocal Activist In Her Retirement
Despite retiring, Pauley Perrette still lives in Los Angeles and is very vocal on Twitter about her political activism. A loud advocate for civil rights, she directed and produced a documentary, Citizen Lane, about U.S. civil rights attorney and author Mark Lane. Her social media has generally been dedicated to her work with charitable organizations that work on behalf of animal rescue, civil rights, and LGBT rights.
1 Pauley Perrette Returns To TV For Charity Telethon
In June 2022, Pauley Perrette reappeared on screen, appearing on the Love 3 telethon on KTLA5 network, on which raised funds for Project Angel Food. She appeared on the show talking about the cause and gave a $9,000 cheque.
The actress was introduced by host Jessica Holmes, who said, "Project Angel Food is all about love and caring, and no one knows that more than our friend and Project Angel Food trustee, Pauley Perette," before adding: "Pauley, how are you?"
Pauley said that she was "excited" to be back and told viewers, "I'm so glad to be here again. I was right here last year, it was fantastic."