‘NCIS’ Alum Pauley Perrette Says She’s ‘Retired,’ and Fans Are Reaching Out

Pauley Perrette is officially done with acting, the former NCIS star confirmed on Twitter Saturday. After she shared the news, Perrette’s followers reached out, congratulating her for a “well-earned” break from Hollywood. The 51-year-old Perrette’s last major project turned out to be Broke, a CBS sitcom that aired earlier this year for just one season.

Perrette shared a couple of tweets Saturday, announcing that she planned to get more tattoos and piercings now that she has no contract with a Hollywood studio or modeling agency. She can do whatever she wants now. “I finally and happily retired! And this is what I was looking forward to,” she wrote. “My rules in life now are ‘if my [rescue dogs] don’t care, it’s cool! I only answer to God and animals and plants now. WOOT!!!”

The actress began her film and television career in the early 1990s, making her debut in the ABC afterschool special Magical Make-Over in 1994. In 1996, she appeared in two Frasier episodes and landed her first lead role in the short-lived ABC sitcom, That’s Life in 1998. In 1999, she was cast in Time of Your Life, a short-lived series featuring Jennifer Love Hewitt’s Party of Five characters. In 2003, Perrette nabbed her breakout role as Abby Sciuto, who continued playing until she left NCIS in 2018.

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After taking a TV season off, Perrette returned to CBS to star in Broke, a sitcom in which she played a single mom and bartender whose life is thrown upside-down when her sister (Natasha Leggero) and spoiled brother-in-law (Jaime Camil) move in with her. Perrette told TV Insider she considered retiring until she was offered the show.

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“I wanted to do a comedy. Either that or retire,” she said in February. Perrette later joked that she just wanted to “drink beer with my three dogs and watch television” after she left NCIS. “My family, friends, and pastor didn’t think it was the best idea. I didn’t even want to play a mom, but now Antonio is the center of my universe,” Perrette said, referring to her Broke co-star Antonio Corbo. “He brightens my life!”

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Broke was canceled after just a few episodes aired, and the finale aired in June. Afterward, Perrette told fans she was proud of the series but planned to retire. “I did my last dance & am proud of it,” she wrote on July 7. “Everyone that knows me knew I was retiring right after. I’m proud of my work. I love you guys! I AM FREE!!! (To be the tiny little simple human I am!)”

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One fan said Perrette should just do “what your heart tells you to do,” although they noted NCIS is not the same without her. Another person said Perrette is a “wonderful actress retired now and a beautiful person… can’t wait to [see] your new tattoo.”

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Another Twitter user said it stinks that Perrette is retired, but wished her the best of luck. Another said they were disappointed by how CBS treated Broke. “I really like you and NCIS and I also like your show Broke I thought it was really good I was sorry to see that it was canceled I’d like to network didn’t give it a chance,” the fan wrote.

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“Congratulations Pauley! You deserve happiness,” one fan wrote. Another wished her the best of luck in her search for a tattoo artist. “You go girl, you Love your body and life is all yours and God, I will miss your beautiful person but, life is blessed to have you on the earth,” another fan wrote.