- NCIS fans still remember Michael Weatherly fondly
- The "Tony DiNozzo" actor moved onto Bull after NCIS
- Weatherly was at the centre of a scandal with Eliza Dushku
With his role as "Anthony 'Tony' DiNozzo," actor Michael Weatherly is an all-time fan-favourite from NCIS.
Weatherly starred on NCIS from 2003 to 2016. Afterward, he stayed on the network at CBS as the lead of a new show called Bull.
But the once popular actor's reputation took a serious hit during his time on Bull. He emerged at the centre of a scandal in 2018.
After NCIS: Michael Weatherly's Bull controversy
Weatherly's Bull co-star Eliza Dushku had accused him of sexual harassment and bullying on set. She confronted him about it, but he used his sway at the network to get her fired.
CBS and Dushku settled the wrongful termination unofficially for $9.5 million, and both sides agreed not to discuss the incident.
For the rest of the world, Dushku's exit from Bull in 2017 after just three episodes was initially a mystery. But investigative reporting exposed the full story a year later, and Dushku came forward after Weatherly and CBS broke their agreed upon silence.
Eliza Dushku detailed Michael Weatherly's alleged behaviour
Eliza Dushku told The Boston Globe how Weatherly "sexually harassed and bullied [her] day-in and day-out" during her brief time on Bull. And Weatherly's actions were captured on tape.
Dushku detailed specific examples, in which Weatherly asked her to come to his "rape van, filled with all sorts of lubricants and long phallic things."
Also interesting:
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He was always one of THE fan-favorites...!
'NCIS': What Did Michael Weatherly Do Before He Joined The Show?
Another time, Weatherly apparently propositioned her to join a threesome, a remark made in front of crew members. He also referred to her as "legs" and talked about his sperm.
For his part, Weatherly described his behaviour as "jokes mocking some lines in the script" and suggested Dushku didn't understand his "attempt at humor." He apologized in a statement.
In spite of everything, Bull still continued with Weatherly as its leading man for another four seasons. The series concluded in 2022.
