During an interview with E! News, Pauley Perrette a.k.a. Forensic Scientist Abby Sciuto revealed that she and the rest of the cast and crew were not given a heads up about Cote de Pablo’s decision to leave the show in 2013.
Pauley Perrette was totally blindsided by costar Cote de Pablo’s departure from NCIS, finding out just 20 minutes before the news broke.
Cote, who plays Special Agent Ziva David, left the popular police procedural just days before Season 11 filming started in 2013 due to frustrations about her character’s treatment. Co-stars and fans alike were shocked by her sudden absence from the show, with some feeling upset over what seemed to be a rash decision.
Over a decade since she first left the show, Cote is reprising her character in a spin-off series NCIS: Tony & Ziva that is set to debut in 2025.
During an interview with E! News, Pauley a.k.a. Forensic Scientist Abby Sciuto revealed that she and the rest of the cast and crew were not given a heads up about Cote’s decision to leave the show. She said: “It was huge news to us. I found out literally 20 minutes before it was released in the press. But we love her. She’s our friend. She had a personal decision to make. No one wanted her to leave. There was no drama…there really isn’t much to tell. There really wasn’t any drama. But we love her, we respect her and that’s what happened.”
During a panel for her movie The 33, Cote explained the sudden exit, and what led to her deciding to walk away, citing “political things” and “the scripts not being good enough.”
Cote went on to say: “I love this character. I worked eight years crafting this character and loving her, so when I felt or I perceived the character was not being treated with the respect that she deserved,” alluding to some tensions behind the scenes.”
She also said that “all the money in the world” wouldn’t keep her on the show.
The late David McCallum, known for his role as Donald “Ducky” Mallard on the show, wasn’t as forgiving as Pauley. He told Digital Spy, “It was frustration and anger that someone should just walk out on us. I just don’t understand how a leading lady in a show that’s worldwide, who ostensibly wants to have a career as an actress, suddenly walks away from such a gem and just vanishes a couple of days before we start production.”
David was on the show for 20 seasons, from 2003 to his death in 2023. Pauley left the show after 15 seasons in 2018, five years after her friend and co-star Cote’s sudden leave.
It’s a good thing Ziva was killed off-screen in season 11, otherwise Cote would not be able to reprise her role for the 2025 spin-off.