- Scandals seem to be inevitable in Hollywood
- Even NCIS has faced occasional controversies
- From Michael Weatherly to Mark Harmon and Pauley Perrette
When a show has been on the air for decades, it's bound to run into the occasional conflict or scandal.
And though it's long been one of TV's most popular series, NCIS is no exception. Here are the biggest scandals in the show's history.
Cote de Pablo leaves NCIS – and slams the series!
When it comes to NCIS fan-favourites, "Ziva David" is always near the top of the list. But fans said goodbye to "Ziva" when actress Cote de Pablo quit the series in 2013...
Cote de Pablo was candid about why she left NCIS, too. While she expressed her "love" for her character, the star blamed "political things and the scripts not being good enough" for her exit. Ouch!
She added: "I worked eight years in crafting this character and loving her, so when I felt the character was not being treated with the respect that she deserved, all the money in the world [couldn't make me stay]."
Despite her harsh criticism of NCIS, de Pablo would later return as "Ziva" in 2020.
The Pauley Perrette and Mark Harmon incident!
Without a doubt, Pauley Perrette's exit after a dispute with co-star Mark Harmon makes any list of NCIS scandals.
Perrette had starred as the popular scientist "Abby Sciuto" for 15 seasons. But behind the scenes, the actress said she was "terrified" of Mark Harmon.
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The fans have spoken!
The "Ziva" actress
Perrette had alleged she was "physically assaulted" on set, apparently after confronting Harmon about how his dog had bit a crew member. She left NCIS not long after.
Perrette's accusations were never verified, but the network insisted they investigated her complaints and "resolved it to everyone's satisfaction."
The "Abby" actress never returned to NCIS. Regardless of what really happened, it was not the cast's finest moment!
Michael Weatherly's allegations – NCIS stars get involved!
Actor Michael Weatherly is an NCIS legend for his role as "Tony DiNozzo." The star left the series in 2016. He would start a new show called Bull soon after, but...
Weatherly found himself in a scandal on his new show. His Bull co-star Eliza Dushku had accused him of sexual harassment and bullying, and the network fired her after she complained.
The story was a huge scandal when it came out. The network had paid Dushku nearly $10 million to fire her and to keep quiet about it all...
Nevertheless, several of Weatherly's co-stars from his NCIS days came to his defense at the time.
For one, Pauley Perrette had Weatherly's back. Amid his scandal, she called him a man "I love, respect, trust, and I KNOW. TWO decades of friendship and respect."
As well, "Caitlin Todd" actress Sasha Alexander shared a supportive message for Weatherly. She wrote that it was "always laughs" acting with Weatherly and called him a "true friend" with "a heart as big as they come."
On Bull, Weatherly was accused of rape jokes, sexually inappropriate comments, and bullying. He later apologized but insisted his behaviour was an "attempt at humor."
See more in the video above!
