Her character Abby Sciuto has been beloved by NCIS fans since the show started, which makes the news that Pauley Perrette has decided to leave the show all the more heartbreaking.
The 48-year-old confirmed the sad news on Twitter.
“So it is true that I am leaving NCIS after this season,” Pauley tweeted.
“There have been all kinds of false stories as to why (NO I DON’T HAVE A SKIN CARE LINE AND NO MY NETWORK AND SHOW ARE NOT MAD AT ME!)”
The actress went on to reveal that the decision was actually made last year.
American network CBS released the following statement following Pauley’s tweet:
“Pauley has been a valued member of both NCIS and the CBS family for over 15 years. While it’s never easy saying goodbye to a beloved actress and character, we respect her decision to leave at the end of the season. We are grateful to Pauley for all her contributions to the series and making Abby one of the most unique characters on television.”
Pauley with her NCIS co-star Mark Harmon.
Along with NCIS stars Mark Harmon and David McCallum, Pauley has appeared in every episode of NCIS since it began in 2003.
The series farewelled two other long-running cast members last year.
Cote de Pablo, who played Ziva David from 2005-2016 and Michael Weatherly who played Anthony DiNozzo from 2003-2016 both decided to move on after many years on the series.
Pauley’s character Abby, a forensic scientist, has always been a fan favourite.
