Cote de Pablo's sudden departure from NCIS was her decision, according to Les Moonves. During the Television Critics Association's summer press tour in Beverly Hills on Monday, July 29, CBS' CEO addressed de Pablo's recent announcement that she would not be reprising her role as Special Agent Ziva David in Season 11 of the hit drama series.
"We offered Cote de Pablo a lot of money, and then we offered her even more money . . . We didn't want to lose her," Moonves explained. "We obviously were in discussions . . . Ultimately, she decided she didn't want to do the show."
He added, "We did everything humanly possible [to keep her]."
De Pablo, 33, announced to her fan on July 10 that she would be leaving NCIS after appearing on the show since Season 3. "I've had eight great years with NCIS and Ziva David," the actress said in a statement via The Hollywood Reporter. "I have huge respect and affection for Mark [Harmon], Gary [Glasberg], Michael [Weatherly], David [McCallum], Rocky [Carroll], Pauley [Perrette], Brian [Dietzen], Sean [Murray], all of the team and CBS. I look forward to finishing Ziva’s story."
CBS and CBS Television Studios also said in a statement, "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."
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