How Pauley Perrette Felt When Michael Weatherly Left ‘NCIS’
Pauley Perrette and Michael Weatherly starred in NCIS together for over a decade. The former played the gothic and geeky lab-bound analyst Abby Sciuto, while the latter portrayed the quick-tongued womanizer, Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo. The two both came to the show with a background in comedy; thus, they immediately committed to the same cause: making a military drama funny, as Perrette once explained.
Pauley Perrette and Michael Weatherly brought a contagious high-energy and fun vibe to NCIS. Beginning as a mere Jag spinoff, NCIS became so much more than it was expected to become — thanks to these two goofballs, Mark Harmon, Cote De Pablo, Sean Murray, and a handful of talented writers.
Pauley Perrette and Michael Weatherly had strong on-screen chemistry, despite the fact that they didn’t share an abundance of scenes. Yet, behind the camera, they boasted quite the friendship, if not a sibling-like bond. Pauley Perrette spoke with ENews about Michael Weatherly’s departure. She had to keep his secret when she had sat down with the entertainment outlet previously — as the news of his exit was leaking as she was interviewing!
Pauley Perrette talks Michael Weatherly’s exit from ‘NCIS’
Pauley Perrette explained that she and Michael Weatherly had quite the relationship, as they knew how to make each other laugh, and how to inspire laughter on the set, which likely played a pivotal role in the show’s comedic slant. The ENews interviewer recounted Perrette’s last visit, stating, “You’re sitting here on the stage with me, we’re talking, meanwhile news is breaking that Michael Weatherly is leaving…” Pauley Perrette responded:
This is the sound of my heart breaking. Michael’s my brother, and I love him with all of my heart. It’s not my story to tell; it’s going to be Michael’s story to tell when he feels like it.
ENews
Pauley Perrette stood by Michael Weatherly’s side when the sexual misconduct allegations against him surfaced
Pauley Perrette later went on to defend Michael Weatherly, as The Hollywood Reporter noted, when the sexual misconduct allegations from his former Bull co-star Eliza Dushku surfaced.
Perrette remains one of Michael Weatherly’s closest friends and confidantes; she stands by his side and often has beautiful words to share about their relationship, as well as the humorous and heartfelt moments they shared on the set of NCIS.
Though no longer starring in NCIS together, both remain CBS network actors, as Michael Weatherly leads Bull, and Pauley Perrette appeared in the new sitcom Broke. Maybe a future project will bring these two together in front of or behind the screen.
Michael Weatherly and Cote de Pablo are both working as producers on a new series for CBS called MIA, which is a new detective drama in the works. Who’s to say Weatherly and Perrette wouldn’t team up to work on a comedy, as they both were the funny bones behind the NCIS operation? Maybe it would have more luck than the quickly-canceled Broke.
