We previously discussed Pauley Perrette and her surprisingly dramatic exit from NCIS. It was dramatic because NCIS is still, against all odds, an incredibly popular show on CBS and Pauley was one of the most beloved women on television. CBS would have given her a lot of money to stay on NCIS, but she decided to leave. Just after her last episode aired, Pauley got on Twitter and tweeted some very shady, cryptic stuff about “multiple physical assaults” on the set of NCIS. I questioned if Radar had it right when they reported months ago that there was some beef between Pauley and NCIS mega-star Mark Harmon over Harmon’s dog. As it turns out, that does seem to be the root of the problem, and that was what Pauley was referencing in her tweets, according to sources. Apparently, in the past two years, Mark Harmon and Pauley couldn’t even film in the same room, that’s how bad the drama was between them.
Many “NCIS” viewers started pointing out months ago that stars Pauley Perrette and Mark Harmon were no longer appearing together on screen: They didn’t even share a stage for Perrette’s final episode last week. The reason goes back to an incident in 2016 in which Harmon’s dog bit a member of the crew, requiring 15 stitches, and Perrette objected when the dog was allowed to return to the set afterward, according to multiple individuals familiar with the situation. The tension between the two stars became so bad after the dog-bite incident that the show came to an arrangement in which the stars never had to be in the same location together, individuals familiar with the situation told TheWrap.
“She did her scenes on one day and he did his work on other days, and they still produced a great show,” one insider said. “It was simply scheduled that they did not work the same days.”
“NCIS” is generally known as a dog-friendly set, and by all accounts Harmon’s dog got along fine with the cast and crew until October 2016. That’s when the dog bit an unidentified crew member who was playing with him, requiring about 15 stitches. TMZ wrote about the incident at the time, and Harmon’s attorney, Barry Axelrod, confirmed to TheWrap on Wednesday that he consulted with Harmon about the potential liability of the dog returning to the “NCIS” set after the bite. Axelrod disputed reports that the dog was a pitbull, but said he did not know the animal’s breed.
The situation escalated dramatically, creating discord between two key players on the set of one of CBS’ most bankable hits. Harmon serves as executive producer of “NCIS” as well as the show’s star, while Perrette is the most popular woman in primetime television, according to consumer surveys by the Q Scores Company. Though Axelrod said his client’s dog “did not come back to the set” after the bite, others who spoke to TheWrap on condition of anonymity said the dog did return.
“If he brought the dog to work, he was on a leash or in his trailer. He definitely took steps to make sure that the dog was with him and was not just roaming freely, and then he just stopped bringing him altogether,” one person familiar with the situation said. But concerns about the dog roiled the “NCIS” set. Several people were uncomfortable with the dog’s presence around the production after the bite, but were afraid to confront Harmon, their boss. But Perrette had plenty of clout and spoke up for the others who felt that they could not, people familiar with the situation said. Then things escalated.
I’ve read and seen interviews where other actors talk about how Mark Harmon is actually a really shy, low-key kind of guy. He’s not all about the drama, nor does he mistreat coworkers or anything like that. I think it says something about him that the big drama about a show that’s been on the air for 15 years is that Harmon’s dog bit someone and Pauley took issue with how it was handled afterwards. I mean, of course it’s awful for the guy who needed 15 stitches, and of course Harmon had no business bringing the dog back to the set. I would have had a problem with that too. But would I quit over it? I don’t know. I don’t think so.
Also – Pauley’s got drama with her ex-husband too. Maybe she’s the one who’s all about the drama? IDK.
Sigh… I miss Ziva. She was honestly a great character.
Photos courtesy of WENN.
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