The Truth About Michael Weatherly's Relationship With Sasha Alexander
The following article includes allegations of sexual harassment.
Before Michael Weatherly and Cote de Pablo's palpable chemistry on "NCIS" made viewers root for "Tiva," Weatherly's character, Special Agent Tony DiNozzo, had a different female partner to exchange playful barbs with: former Secret Service agent Caitlin "Kate" Todd, who was played by Sasha Alexander.
Todd was shot and killed in the Season 2 finale, and Alexander later explained that her character's dramatic end came about because the actor found the show's filming schedule far too brutal. "People don't realize that on a network show, you make 24 episodes a year — that's 10½ months a year, 17 hours a day," she told TV Guide in 2012. She revealed that she didn't regret her decision to leave "NCIS," saying that she wouldn't have the family and career that she wanted if she'd stuck around.
As for Weatherly, he said he decided to exit the series in 2016 because he felt like DiNozzo's story had basically run its course. "I was ready for a new challenge," he added, while speaking at the 2016 TCA summer press tour, per The Hollywood Reporter. His next project was the CBS legal drama "Bull," but now he's left that show, as well, opening up time in his schedule to possibly make good on a promise he made on Twitter in 2018: "I will always be ready to play DiNozzo when the time is right." Todd's death means that Alexander's onscreen return to "NCIS" is unlikely, but she and Weatherly have already worked together again.
Sasha Alexander defended Michael Weatherly before their reunion
In 2018, The New York Times published an article detailing Eliza Dushku's allegations that she lost her job after she accused Michael Weatherly of sexually harassing her on the set of "Bull." Weatherly apologized for his behavior, and Dushku was awarded a $9.5 million payout from CBS. Sasha Alexander seemed to react to the story on Twitter, writing, "I have been in trenches w/ my friend @M_Weatherly. Always laughs, true friend & [heart emoji] as big as they come," per The Hollywood Reporter.
Alexander's tweet has since been deleted, but she proved that she and Weatherly are still on good terms when she reunited with him to direct an episode of "Bull." Weatherly teased his Twitter followers on March 18, 2022, by suggesting that they might also get to see the two former co-stars interacting, even though Alexander remained behind the camera for the show. "I should post something with us talking, right?" he said. Fans also got to see a cute photo of the actors together, courtesy of Alexander. "Reunited and it feels sooo goood," she captioned an Instagram pic of herself and Weatherly chilling on a bed.
"Bull" star Geneva Carr told TV Insider that Alexander was a joy to work with. "It's so nice to have a friend of Michael's on set, someone who has known him as long as anyone, and she's super supportive and funny and really is enjoying herself," she said.
Michael Weatherly and Sasha Alexander impacted each other's lives in major ways
While speaking to TVLine about her "NCIS" exit in 2016, Sasha Alexander revealed that Michael Weatherly's use of a food analogy played an integral role in helping her decide whether she should stay or go. "He'd be like, 'It's TV, we make sausage every week. And you don't change the flavors too much,'" she recalled. "But I was like, "I don't want to do that!" She got a taste of what it's like to do something different when she scored a title role on the TNT series "Rizzoli & Isles," which she starred in for six years. The actor directed an episode of the show in 2016, an addition to her résumé that set her up perfectly for her future reunion with Weatherly on "Bull."
Before Alexander left "NCIS," she helped Weatherly make a big life change of his own: leaving the bachelor life behind after he experienced what he described as love at first sight, per People. Alexander told TVLine reporter Matt Webb Mitovich that she helped Weatherly learn to properly speak to the woman he would marry, Bojana Jankovic, a physician who shares Alexander's Serbian heritage. "[Alexander] absolutely gets credit ... It is true, Sasha taught me among other things how to say Bojana's name, which is a pretty big thing, 'putting the emphasis on the first syllable,'" Weatherly recalled. Doesn't this friendship sound like it was built to last?
If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).