Pauley Perrette has been a fixture on NCIS since it all began back in 2003. Now, fifteen years later, her character Abby is about to leave the show and that means a new life for Pauley as she moves on to other projects.
Perrette’s departure hasn’t been easy on anyone. She has been incredibly emotional as the death of her character nears and it turns out that the entire NCIS cast is really going to miss her. So why did Pauley Perrette decide to leave the top-rated show in the world?
Based on a quick look at IMDb, it looks like Pauley isn’t headed anywhere on screen immediately after she leaves NCIS.
That alone could be concerning to her enormous fan base who has been grieving the upcoming exit of Abby from the show, right along with Perrette herself. Sadly for fans, it does look like she’s planning to take some time off from acting — but after a decade and a half on the same show she has a very good reason for needing a break.
What is Pauley doing after leaving NCIS? Having a much-needed break!
Prior to the airing of NCIS Season 15, Episode 22, titled Two Steps Back, Pauley Perrette talked to CBS Sunday about Abby’s exit and leaving her role.
During the course of the interview, Pauley was asked by Tracy Smith what part of being famous bothered her.
“It’s being a commodity,” Perrette said. “It’s just very dehumanizing. I hope I’m not wrong, but I think that I have earned a little bit of time to myself. Just stay home. Go to church.”
Already divorced once, Pauley Perrette denied that she was making time for a love life. She insisted that this current break is simply a chance to take some time for herself and decompress.
After all, 15 years of playing the same character on the same show can be exhausting. That doesn’t mean that the departure has been easy on her.
As Pauley’s time on NCIS wound down, it became very emotional for everyone on set. Her character was around for so long that while Abby’s departure is just TV, Perrette and those who worked with her are grieving the loss.
After filming the final scene, Pauley Perrette shared photos with the rest of the NCIS crew. It’s clear that it was a hard day for all of them.
Finished shooting my last scene of NCIS with @SeanHMurray @BrianDietzen @EmilyWickersham @WValderrama Airs May 8th.
LOVE Y’ALL!!! pic.twitter.com/6jfNgIh0Nz— Pauley Perrette (@PauleyP) April 7, 2018
Abby leaves her mark after NCIS
As well as being on NCIS, Pauley Perrette has become well known as a social rights activist and a supporter of various other causes.
After admitting to throwing her support behind at least two dozen different charities — through both monetary contributions and with her time — Pauley joked how her money manager told her to stop giving her money away.
Even though she may not have carte blanche to spend on charities on a whim, it seems unlikely Pauley’s philanthropy will come to an end any time soon. In fact, with more time on her hands, she may end up throwing herself into even more projects.
As fans know, Perrette is also a singer and has previously released songs like Beautiful Child, which was written for suicide prevention of LGBT teens. One of her NCIS-related contributions has also been to set up a scholarship fund for girls who want to go into the science fields like her character on the show.
It’s not all about the humans though, Pauley has a soft spot for animals as well. She has been very active with Beverly Hills animal rescue organization The Amanda Foundation.
Nothing better than a lap full of #RescueDogs :) pic.twitter.com/hniYbwlS5y
— Pauley Perrette (@PauleyP) May 7, 2018
There’s NO skincare line
Understandably, rumors spread like wildfire when it was revealed Pauley was leaving NCIS — but she has repeatedly taken to Twitter to confirm one thing for sure, that it’s NOT because she has a new skincare line.
So it is true that I am leaving NCIS…
There have been all kinds of false rumors as to why (NO I DON'T HAVE A SKIN CARE LINE… pic.twitter.com/gugM2a2ckT— Pauley Perrette (@PauleyP) October 4, 2017
THE LIES! EVERYONE asking me about this (FAKE) skin care line? I DON'T HAVE A SKIN CARE LINE! I think @facebook @Yahoo @MSN and all sites making money off fake ads should be liable for posting false ads. I'M NOT LEAVING NCIS FOR A SKIN CARE LINE! I'm leaving, but that's not why
— Pauley Perrette (@PauleyP) November 14, 2017
Prior tweet: I DON'T HAVE A SKIN CARE LINE! Watch: 'NCIS' Star Pauley Perrette Victim of Skin Care Ads https://t.co/akiFTQ4GmG
— Pauley Perrette (@PauleyP) November 14, 2017
Too many choices?
When it comes to what Pauley Perrette will do after leaving NCIS, the answer is seems likely that she really doesn’t know yet — but just wants some time to enjoy a quieter life.
Pauley confirmed that acting offers have been pouring in and she’s currently having conversations about several of them. She’s clearly not in a hurry to run back to a set, though Pauley made it clear that she would be back when she is ready and when the project is right.
“I’m being offered a lot. There’s a lot of conversations going on, yeah. And there’s me sittin’ at home on the couch, drinkin’ beer with my dogs. And I’m really good at it!”