‘NCIS’ Star Pauley Perrette Bids Tearful Farewell to Show: ‘I Will Definitely Miss Abby’

Pauley Perrette’s time on NCIS is coming to an end, and she admits she will miss Abby Sciuto.

The actress will exit the series after 15 seasons with a special two-part sendoff that will surely leave fans emotional as they give a final goodbye to their favorite forensic tech. A goodbye that has taken its toll on Perrette herself.

“I just made a very feeble attempt to try and tell them without crying and I made it for about 10 seconds,” Perrette told Entertainment Tonight of breaking the news of her departure to the cast and crew. “‘I just want you guys to know,’ and that was it. I’m like [crying], ‘I love you, guys,’ then I have to get right back to work and do a three-page monologue about science.”

Abby Sciuto, an eccentric goth genius who helps the Naval Criminal Investigative Service crack cases involving the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps, has been on the show since it began, when it started as a back-door pilot on fellow CBS military procedural JAG.

Abby has also made appearances on NCIS spinoffs, NCIS: Los Angeles and NCIS: New Orleans.

“I will definitely miss Abby,” Perrette said. “And a world without Abby is strange. … It’s been quite a journey.”

Throughout the series’ run, Abby has been a consistently favorite character for fans, who have reportedly written letters to Perrette reaching out about how much the character means to them.

“I say, ‘I love her as much as you do,’ which is true,” the actress said of her response to the fan love. “And I say, ‘thank you’ and I say, ‘I love you guys,” because I do. I love the Abby fans, there is nobody like them.”

As for what comes after she says goodbye to Abby, Perrette revealed she’ll be taking some time off following a decade on TV. “I have been in either pajamas or a bathing suit for almost a month,” Perrette said.

“As far as what’s next, it is totally God’s plan for me, and that’s what I believe and that’s how I feel. So I’m just waiting. It’ll be revealed to me. I’ll now when it happens.”

Perrette announced in November that she would be exiting the CBS crime drama after the current season, having been a series regular and fan favorite since the very first episode in 2003.

In her exit announcement, she wrote that she made the decision in 2016 and denied rumors that she was starting a skincare line and that she was leaving due to problems with the show’s creative team.

Because producers were aware of the star’s departure from the beginning, George Schenck and Frank Cardea teased that the character will receive a “special send-off.”

“We’ve known for some time this would be Pauley’s final season on NCIS and have been working toward a special send-off,” Schenck and Cardea told Deadline in October. “From day one, she has brought incredible passion and specificity to the role. Abby is a character that inspires millions of fans around the world, and all of us at NCIS are appreciative of Pauley for portraying her.”

Perette’s final appearance on NCIS begins with Tuesday’s episode at 8 p.m. ET on CBS.