Pauley Perrette To Leave NCIS After 15 Seasons

The NCIS fan favorite is saying goodbye.

Pauley Perrette confirmed on Wednesday, Oct. 4, 2017 that she is leaving the hit CBS show. She had portrayed her goth-chic, Forensic Scientist alter ego, Abby Sciuto, for 15 seasons. "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 AND NO MY NETWORK AND SHOW ARE NOT MAD AT ME!)," she wrote in a statement on Twitter.

"It was a decision made last year," Perrette continued. "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. All the love, all the laughter, all the inspiration...I love her as much as you do."

NCIS has dominated TV ratings for years, making Perrette one of the most recognizable faces in television. "Last year they had said that at any given moment, there's 59 million people watching NCIS somewhere on the planet, so no, I can't go anywhere [without being recognized]," she told Entertainment Tonight in December 2016.

But she's not the only beloved actor to shock fans with an exit from the hugely popular series. Longtime cast member Michael Weatherly called it quits in 2016 following his infamous DUI arrest. "I will miss the amazing crew & cast, who are like family to me, & to the fans all over the world," the Bull star, who played Special Agent Tony DiNozzo, tweeted (via Page Six). "THANK YOU, it's been a fantastic ride!"

Meanwhile, Cote de Pablo surprisingly quit after eight seasons, leaving behind her character, Special Agent Ziva David, in 2013. And Rizzoli & Isles star Sasha Alexander, aka Special Agent Caitlyn Todd, was killed off at the end of season 2 after reportedly begging to drop out in 2005.

While we wait to see what projects the NCIS actress has lined up next, read up on things you never knew about Pauley Perrette.