The Pauley Perrette Mark Harmon ‘NCIS’ Drama Wasn’t About A Dog Bite, It Was About Intimidation And Alleged Assault
Former NCIS star Pauley Perrette took to Twitter last week with some shocking allegations of physical assault. Perrette left NCIS after Season 15 amid reports of a dog attack on set, and sources now say the alleged physical assault was at the hands of Mark Harmon himself. Here’s a look at the real reason why Perrette left NCIS and will never return.
Pauley Perrette alludes to assault on Twitter
This month, fans badgered Perrette on social media about returning to NCIS for a surprise cameo in Season 17. Perrette finally had enough of the persistent questions and blasted her former co-star for attacking her on set. She even admitted that Harmon’s behavior still gives her nightmares and that she is thankful to be working on a show that encourages a safe environment.
“NO, I AM NOT COMING BACK! EVER!” Perrette shared on Twitter. “I am terrified of Harmon and him attacking me. I have nightmares about it.”
Perrette later added that she fought to remove Harmon’s dog from the set of NCIS in order to protect crew members. She also shared some photos of the staffer who got attacked by the dog in what was a brutal injury to the eye. Perrette did not, however, clarify what happened to her.
According to TMZ, sources claim that Harmon body checked Pauley Perrette on the set of NCIS after she complained to upper management. He also allegedly tried to intimidate her into backing down from the allegations, which ultimately made her quit the series. CBS has yet to respond to the allegations, though Perrette has deleted several of the shocking tweets.
What happened with Harmon’s dog?
The drama reportedly started after Harmon brought his dog with him to work. The pet allegedly bit a crew member in the face, leaving the man with over 15 stitches around his eye. An outraged Perrette immediately went to CBS after the incident and demanded that Harmon not be allowed to bring his dog to work anymore. Once Harmon got wind of the situation, he allegedly body checked Perrette in an effort to intimidate her.
Although CBS sided with Pauley Perrette and forced Harmon to leave his dog in his trailer, she still did not feel safe at work. In fact, Perrette refused to film any scenes with Harmon in Season 15, which is why their characters were rarely seen together on the show.
Eventually, Perrette had enough of the situation and opted to leave the series entirely. The actress announced her exit on social media towards the end of Season 15. Based on everything that has happened, it is clear that Perrette will never return to the show, unless perhaps if Harmon called it quits as well.
Pauley Perrette’s tweets back up her assault story
Perrette has not confirmed any of the reports surrounding Harmon’s behavior on the set of NCIS. Her previous tweets from 2018, however, alluded to the idea that she was physically assaulted on more than one occasion. Prior to her recent bombshell, Perrette commented on bullying and admitted that she never understood the consequences of it until she was the victim. She then wrote about how she suffered from “multiple physical assaults,” though nobody knew at the time that she was referring to Harmon.
Despite the nature of the allegations, Harmon has yet to comment on the situation. The actor has been a part of the series since the very beginning and serves as an executive producer on the show and its spin-off, NCIS: New Orleans. It is unclear how CBS will handle things moving forward, but it does not look good for Harmon. If the allegations of assault are true, then Harmon could face some serious consequences.
‘NCIS’ Fans react to the news
The reaction from NCIS fans has been a mixed bag. The majority of fans were understandably shocked to hear about Perrette’s assault and offered her their support on social media.
Some fans, however, accused Pauley Perrette of embellishing on the facts and using the situation to promote her new show on CBS. Until we hear anything official from the network, it will be interesting to see how things play out ahead of the Season 17 premiere, especially considering how NCIS is still one of CBS’ highest rated shows.
