Pauley Perrette "Worried" About NCIS Fans Regarding Her "Sad" Exit: "I Did My Best Work For You"

After 15 seasons Pauley Perrette is saying goodbye to NCIS, but it might not be a happy ending

By Chris Harnick May 08, 2018 12:00 PMTags
NCIS, Pauley PerretteCBS

Pauley Perrette is worried. The actress is leaving NCIS on Tuesday, May 8 after 15 seasons as Abby Scuito, and her exit might not be a happy one. Spoiler alert!

Part one of Perrette's exit ended with Abby being held up at gunpoint. Instead of offering up her belongings, she instead offered to help the mugger. The episode ended with a bang. The preview for part two, titled "Two Steps Back," featured Abby in a hospital bed with Gibbs (Mark Harmon) at her side.

"I'm so worried about you guys for Tuesdays episode of the #GoodbyeAbby," Perrette tweeted. "It's sad, But I hope, hope, hope you will all watch. I want the world to watch. I did my best work for you. And TONS of flashbacks. Everyone is there. Love you! Get everyone to watch please."

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Perrette announced her exit from the long-running series in October 2017. In a statement issued on Twitter, the actress said she loved the character as much as fans.

"So, it is true that I am leaving NCIS after this season. There has 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!)," she wrote. "It was a decision made last year. I hope everyone will love and enjoy EVERYTHING ABBY not only for the rest of this season but for everything she has given all of us for 16 years. All the love, all the laughter, all the inspiration…I love her as much as you do."

In an interview with TV Guide Magazine, Perrette said she just had a feeling it was time to leave. "I believe in God and the universe so firmly, and it just suddenly became blindingly apparent that now was the time," she said. "After a lot of thought, I decided to announce it myself on Twitter because I didn't want it to be turned into anything 'shocking.' Abby leaving is more than a cheap TV ploy."

Perrette gave an interview to CBS, posted on the NCIS Twitter page, discussing Abby's impact on the show's audience.

"Abby has been this incredible role model for young women," she said. "It's her job, her education, her prowess for math and science. Making that available, making it attainable, making it an idea for young women, but also just the way Abby is as a person. She's kind, she's smart and she has a lot of integrity and she has a lot of heart. I think that all those things combined make people look up to Abby the way I look up to Abby."

Watch the video above for more.

NCIS airs Tuesdays, 8 p.m. on CBS.