Pauley Perrette is back with an exciting new project! It’s been five years since we saw the fan-favorite actress on the long-running CBS series, so what’s Pauley Perrette doing next after NCIS? We have the answer below.

NCIS is CBS’s decades-long military procedural that premiered back in 2003. The show focuses on special agents’ personal and professional lives in the Naval Criminal Investigation Service’s Major Case Response Team, which investigates criminal activity involving the United States Navy, Marine Corps, and their families. NCIS remains the third-longest-running U.S. primetime drama series behind Law & Order: SVU and Law & Order.

On NCIS, Pauley Perrette portrayed fan-favorite character Abby Sciuto, a quirky forensic scientist and a member of the original NCIS team alongside Mark Harmon, David McCallum, Michael Weatherly, and Sasha Alexander. Perrette played the beloved role for 15 years until she left NCIS in 2018.

Perrette exited the drama after an incident involving Mark Harmon’s dog, executive producer Charles Floyd Johnson told The Hollywood Reporter in September 2023. Perrette is an advocate for animal rights and was allegedly concerned about the dog’s presence and impact on the show.

“In Pauley Perrette’s case, there was an incident with the show with a dog. The dog was Harmon’s, and apparently the dog bit someone. Pauley was a huge, huge SPCA [Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals] animal person,” Floyd Johnson said. “And then the dog kept coming with Harmon, and she felt it wasn’t safe for the show. By the end of that year, she just felt like it wasn’t working for her anymore, and it was time to move on.”

When her exit was announced, the actress cleared up rumors and said that the decision for her to leave was made the year prior. “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!) 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,” she posted on X (formerly Twitter) in October 2017. “All the love, all the laughter, all the inspiration…I love her as much as you do.”

So what is the actress up to now? Keep reading to learn more.

What’s Pauley Perrette doing next after NCIS?

What’s Pauley Perrette doing next after NCIS? Following her iconic role as Abby Sciuto, the 54-year-old actress is now in the director’s chair. She released her new documentary, Red Ribbons of Love, on Sunday, Dec. 3.

Red Ribbons of Love is a short documentary about the history of red ribbons on the bell tower of the Hollywood United Methodist Church. “It was really important, I thought, I’m going to make a documentary about the history of the ribbons but people don’t know why,” she explained in a televised interview with KTLA 5 News in Los Angeles. “They see them, they love them, they’re really beloved in our community and around the world.”

She continued that the ribbons have a rich history dating back to the height of the AIDS epidemic in 1993 when there was “prejudice” and “bigotry” against the LGBTQ+ community. She explained that a group of people made a big move by putting gigantic red aids ribbons on the church to say, “Come in here, we love you, you’re welcome here.”

Watch the 15-minute documentary below:

In the comment section for her KTLA 5 News interview, fans voiced support for Perrette’s inspiring project. “This is why I love her. She’s so down to earth and she not only talks it she walks the walk too,” one person commented. “You’re such an amazing human. Keep making a difference and changing lives,” another user said with a red heart emoji.

Since her departure, Perrette made it clear on social media in 2019 that she has no intention to return to NCIS because of the incident with Harmon. “NO I AM NOT COMING BACK! EVER! (Please stop asking?) I am terrified of Harmon and him attacking me. I have nightmares about it. I have a new show that is SAFE AND HAPPY! You’ll love it! #HappyPlace Love y’all!” the former actress tweeted on June 7, 2019.

It’s estimated that Perette made around $200,000 per episode during her time on NCIS, according to Celebrity Net Worth. For a usual 24-episode season, she could have taken home close to $4.8 million per season. Forbes listed the actress’ yearly pre-tax income at $8.5 million as of September 2017.

NCIS is available to stream on Paramount Plus.

For more on NCIS, check out our gallery below of the NCIS cast’s real-life partners, including which actor’s wife guest-starred on the show.

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