Behind the Scenes Drama That Led to Pauley Perrette Leaving NCIS
NCIS has been the foundation of CBS for the past couple of decades.
The iconic police procedural was recently picked up for a historic 21st season, making it one of the longest-running scripted shows on modern television, straight behind Law & Order.
However, things have not always gone smoothly for the cast and crew.
Recently, one Redditor posted a question asking fellow audience members if they knew why Pauley Perrette was removed from NCIS. And the responses were shocking.
According to viewers, the whole drama between Pauley Perrette and CBS all began with star Mark Harmon (NCIS Supervisory Special Agent Leroy Gibbs).
The 71-year-old actor reportedly had a habit of bringing his beloved dog on set. Unfortunately, the animal got a little wound up one day and bit a crew member.
According to the Redditor, the incident did not provoke a response from the injured crew member, who actually took responsibility for the dog bite. Nevertheless, the situation did not sit well with co-star Pauley Perrette.
Harmon agreed with the network to stop bringing the dog to work. The problems began, however, when Harmon was forced to take the pet with him one day to NCIS (because the dog sitter was unavailable).
Harmon agreed to contain the pet in his trailer, yet, according to Redditors, this set off a chain of events that led to Perrette's departure from NCIS.
Perrette was apparently not pleased with the canine being back on set. She reportedly threw a tantrum and demanded that Harmon remove the dog immediately.
The actress even went as far as to suggest the working conditions of NCIS were "unsafe" and blamed the producers for misconduct.
CBS attempted to intervene, yet Perrette made her demands clear – she refused to work alongside Harmon moving forward. Thus, the decision for the network was easy – Perrette was asked not to return.
The rumors are substantiated by several other Redditors that acknowledge they've heard similar reports. Regardless if it's true or not, the gossip is certainly damaging to the credibility of the actress.
As one Redditor put it, "It makes you wonder if her wacko personality in the show was all acting." Others agreed, finding Perrette's actions a complete overreaction.
Sadly, the meltdown may have also cost Perrette a career. The 53-year-old actress has accomplished little since she departed from NCIS, and one can only wonder if she regrets the decision.
It has to be heartbreaking for an individual who once claimed she had an "obsession" with crime scenes and that her lifelong passion was to become an FBI agent. Perhaps viewers are right, perhaps Perrette did go mad.