Pauley Perrette’s exit from NCIS in 2018 after 15 years on the show shocked fans, especially given how beloved her character, Abby Sciuto, had become.

Abby, with her signature Gothic style and upbeat personality,

captured the hearts of viewers and made Pauley one of the most popular actresses on U.S. primetime television at the time.

So, what led to her departure from the show, and what has she said about it?

Here’s a closer look at the reasons behind her exit and what followed.

Pauley’s departure came at the end of NCIS’s 15th season.

In the show, Abby resigns after surviving an assassination attempt

, but behind the scenes, reports suggest that the real reason for Pauley’s exit was a growing rift between her and series lead Mark Harmon.

According to multiple sources, the two stars had a series of clashes starting in 2016,

particularly after an incident in which Harmon’s dog bit a crew member, requiring 15 stitches.

Tensions escalated after the incident, and it was clear that the relationship between the two actors had soured.

This behind-the-scenes drama was reflected in the final episode featuring Abby, where Pauley and Mark’s characters did not share a scene together.

Instead, Abby bids farewell to her colleagues at NCIS, leaving a letter for Harmon’s character, Gibbs, which he reads from the street.

The absence of any interaction between the two actors in her final episode raised many eyebrows, adding fuel to the rumors surrounding their strained relationship.

After the episode aired, Pauley took to Twitter with a series of cryptic posts that seemed to reference the incident.

One of her tweets read, “I refused to go low, that’s why I’ve never told publicly what happened.

But there are tabloid articles out there that are telling total lies about me.

If you believe them? Please leave me alone. You clearly don’t know me.” She continued