Cote de Pablo felt NCIS writers disrespected her character<\/p>\n
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\nCote de Pablo smiling
\nGary Gershoff\/Getty Images<\/p>\n
In July 2013, Cote de Pablo announced that she was preparing to walk away from \u201cNCIS\u201d in the near future, bringing to an end the story arc for her complex and compelling character: Ziva David, a highly trained and extremely deadly Mossad agent from Israel who enjoyed a will-they-or-won\u2019t-they dynamic with her NCIS partner, Anthony DiNozzo.<\/p>\n
According to TV Guide, \u201cNCIS\u201d fans were so upset about the end of the line for Ziva David that to encourage a retraction of the actor\u2019s decision to leave, they sent paper clips to CBS, referencing a scene from Season Four when the character tells Anthony DiNozzo, \u201cI will kill you 18 different ways with this paper clip.\u201d It didn\u2019t work, and after eight years with the show, de Pablo\u2019s last episode (not counting future cameo appearances) aired in October 2013. \u201cAs far as my decision to leave, that\u2019s a personal thing, and I\u2019d rather leave it at that,\u201d de Pablo said at the time. \u201cLeaving \u2018NCIS\u2019 was not planned, so there is no plan,\u201d she cryptically added.<\/p>\n
Three years later, de Pablo demystified the circumstances of her exit. \u201cUnfortunately because of political things, and the scripts not being good enough, I chose not to,\u201d the actor said at a Q&A. \u201cI worked eight years in crafting this character, and loving her. And so when I felt that I perceived the character was not being treated with the respect she deserved,\u201d she left.<\/p>\n
Michael Weatherly \u2018was ready for a new challenge\u2019<\/p>\n
![](\"https:\/\/www.nickiswift.com\/img\/gallery\/the-truth-about-the-most-scandalous-ncis-cast-exits\/michael-weatherly-1624567269.webp\")
\nMichael Weatherly smirking
\nJamie Mccarthy\/Getty Images<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
There are some things in this world that have been a part of life for so long we take them for granted and can\u2019t imagine a time when they didn\u2019t exist, like the internet, fast food, or the CBS military procedural crime-fighter series \u201cNCIS.\u201d Short for \u201cNaval Criminal Investigative Service\u201d (and originally titled the redundant…<\/p>\n