Former NCIS star and women-in-science advocate Pauley Perrette has been beloved by fans for years thanks in part to her extended stint as the CBS crime drama's tattooed brainiac Abby Sciuto. She vacated that role in a cloud of controversy back in 2018, and then somewhat surprisingly returned to CBS for the sitcom Broke, which was cancelled in May weeks ahead of airing its season finale. Fans hoping to soon hear about her next big TV project are bound to be disappointed, though, as the actress has revealed she is now retired.
While many people were perfecting their Halloween costumes over the weekend, Pauley Perrette was on Twitter seeking recommendations for a tattoo shop, while also celebrating the rare notion that she doesn't currently have any professional obligations holding her back. Check out her first message below.
Does ANYONE KNOW if there’s a legal and safe way to get a freaking #tattoo and #piercing in #LosAngeles now? I’m finally (after over 4 decades!!!) not under contract to a studio or a record company or a modeling agency and can do WHATEVER I WANT! I WANT new tattoos & piercings!
Now, before anyone starts speculating that Pauley Perrette might use her "whatever I want" outlook to latch onto a promising TV project or some other entertainment venture, the (former?) actress replied to her own message a short while later and clarified her previous comments by confirming her retirement. In her words:
I finally and happily retired! And this is what I was looking forward to!!! My rules in life now are 'if my #rescuedogs don’t care, it’s cool!' I only answer to God and animals and plants now. WOOT!!!
Following her self-guided exit from NCIS, Pauley Perrette hinted that she wanted to get away from the acting world for a while, while also sharing some weighted accusations about former co-star Mark Harmon and other executive producers on the CBS hit. She claimed some physical attacks went down, including a dog-biting incident, and at one point vowed that she would never return to NCIS unless all of the accused parties were removed from their duties. Perrette's motives for joining Broke involved tapping into a more lighthearted series that utilized her comedic potential. Had the rags-and-riches sitcom not debuted during the earliest days of the pandemic quarantine, it might have had a better shot at lasting beyond its first season, but the timing was extremely unfortunate.
As well, if Broke had survived cancellation worries earlier this year, Pauley Perrette would likely still be working under contract with CBS while prepping for Season 2. But it appears that experience was all she needed to make the big career-changing decision to hang up her acting gloves and retire. It's a respectable decision, as disappointing as it may be for many fans, and we can only hope that she will decide to reverse course at some point for the perfect project. Perhaps something unscripted and more in line with Mythbusters, Emily's Wonder Lab or Brain Games to match up with those interests.
Older episodes of NCIS are available to stream on Netflix, and can likely be found a few places in syndication on TV proper. While celebrating Pauley Perrette's newfound career freedom, check out our 2020 Fall TV premiere schedule to see what new and returning shows are still on the way.
