‘NCIS’ cast shocked as Cote de Pablo leaving the CBS show, ‘Tiva’ will wrap up in ‘NCIS’ season 11
NCIS fans were shocked when Cote de Pablo announced she would be exiting the long-running hit CBS drama.
E! News chatted with stars Michael Weatherly, Pauley Perrette and Rocky Carroll on the red carpet at the CBS/CW/Showtime party at the 2013 Summer TCA press tour, where they broke their silence on their co-stars surprising exit. “It was huge news to us,” Perrette reveals of Pablo’s announcement that she was leaving NCIS after eight seasons.
“I found out literally 20 minutes before it was released in the press,” Perrette admits. “But we love her. She’s our friend. She had a personal decision to make. No one wanted her to leave. There was no drama…there really isn’t much to tell. There really wasn’t any drama. But we love her, we respect her and that’s what happened.”
The Tony and Ziva are said to wrap up and yet please their fans.
Weatherly assures us that “Tiva” fans will not be disappointed, saying, “Woah, you’re going to have butterflies in your stomach; woah, you’re going to be happy!”
In fact, Weatherly is confident that fans will enjoy the new season, no matter their preferred pairing. “Even if you hate Tiva, even if you love the Tiva, if you’re ambivalent, it’s like a big Christmas stocking on Christmas morning!” he says. “Even if you’re a casual viewer of NCIS, this season premiere and the first couple of episodes, you’re going to want to check out because man alive, if you have found the show compelling at all, this is right down your alley.”
“I’ve had eight great years with NCIS and Ziva David,” Pablo said in a statement in early July. “I have huge respect and affection for Mark, Gary, Michael, David, Rocky, Pauley, Brian, Sean, all of the team and CBS. I look forward to finishing Ziva’s story.”
Now headed into the 11th season CBS stated “We respect Cote’s decision, thank her for being an important part of the NCIS team, and for eight terrific years playing Ziva David. Cote and CBS share a great respect for the NCIS audience, and we look forward to working with her and the producers on appropriate closure in this chapter of Ziva’s story.”
