Pauley Perrette’s Father Speaks out About Her ‘NCIS’ Exit

As fans gathered around their TVs to watch Pauley Perrette‘s character Abby Sciuto say goodbye to the series she has been a staple of since 2003, Paul Perrette, the actress’ father, did the same.

Perrette officially said goodbye to NCIS Tuesday night after a 15-season long run as eccentric genius Abby, and her father Paul could not be any prouder of his daughter. Paul spoke to local station CBS 42 from their hometown of Equality, Alabama, just after the episode — though he admitted that while everybody else may see a star, he still only sees his daughter.

“When I see her, I don’t really see her as the star that people do. I see her as the daughter that I’m very proud of,” he said. “The other side is that Pauley is still Pauley. She has been able to maintain her own personality, her own standards, her own morals.”

He went on to speak of Perrette’s strong work ethic.

“That kid has never ever thought of herself. She gives everything that she’s got away. But she’s worked hard for everything that she’s got. She’d earned every step of the way, and that’s why I’m proud for her. And I’m certainly glad that she’s my daughter,” he added.

After appearing in more than 350 episodes, the actress announced in November that she would be exiting the CBS crime drama after the current season, writing that she made the decision in 2016 and denied rumors that she was starting a skincare line or that she was leaving due to problems with the show’s creative team. She later touched on the fact that she wants a bit of privacy.

“It’s being a commodity,” Perrette said. “I think I’ve earned some time to myself (to) stay home, go to church.”

Perrette’s exit from the series came after she had been on the show since the beginning. In fact, Abby was one of the characters to introduce the series in a backdoor pilot that aired on JAG before the spin-off was introduced.

During her nearly 16 years on NCIS, Perrette’s character won over hearts across the world, and she believes that Abby’s legacy will last forever.

“There’s never been a character like Abby on television. She’s a brilliant scientist with this whole alternative look to her but she’s [also] a good girl with a huge heart. She’s a church kid. She bowls with nuns. It’s so many things wrapped up into one,” Perrette told TV Guide. “Abby’s legacy is going to be forever. The effect that she’s had around the world, especially in young girls pursuing math and science. There [are] young women out there who’ve gotten their degrees and are in the field of science and math and forensics because of this TV character.”