Pauley Perrette is retired and says she will “never” return to acting

“NCIS” favorite Pauley Perrette recently told Hello magazine that she has no intention of returning to acting. Her last major on-screen appearance was starring in the CBS sitcom Broke, which only ran for one season and 13 episodes in 2020. Perrette announced her retirement shortly after, saying she would “never return to the screen again.”

“I’m not ungrateful for the benefits it has brought me,” Perrette said. “But I’m a different person now and I want to be there for everything – the good, the bad and the painful. I want to be myself all the time, and it takes a lot of courage to tell myself that, but it's authentic to how I feel.”

“At this point in my life, I feel a deep need to find authenticity in everything, and acting, especially at certain points in my life, has been a great outlet,” she continued. “It's like a drug because I didn't have to be myself, I could be someone else. My character didn't have all the problems that I had… That's why I only watch documentaries, I want the truth. For me, returning to acting would mean a loss of this life of real authenticity that I live 100%.”

Perrette began acting in the 1990s and built a resume that included guest appearances on television shows like “Frasier” and appearances in films like “Almost Famous.” She gained worldwide recognition when she was cast as Abby Sciuto on CBS's “NCIS,” which premiered in 2003. Perrette remained with the series until 2018, which spanned 15 seasons and 352 episodes. Her character quickly became a fan favorite and even appeared in episodes of franchise spinoffs like “NCIS: Los Angeles” and “NCIS: New Orleans.”

“NCIS” is still on TV, but Perrette certainly isn’t. She's staying away from acting for now, although the recent news that Daniel Day-Lewis is ending his retirement after seven years may give Perrette fans hope that she'll be back on screen one day.