For 15 years, Pauley Perrette played goth girl forensic scientist Abby Sciuto in the CBS series NCIS. But even though she's disappeared from our screens, Perrette has had a lot going on in the years since she solved her final case.
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00:00For 15 years, Pauly Perrette played goth girl forensic scientist Abby Sciuto in the CBS
00:05series NCIS. But even though she's disappeared from our screens, Perrette has had a lot going
00:10on in the years since she solved her final case.
00:14Pauly Perrette left NCIS in 2018 with the intention of retiring from acting, but she
00:19was lured back to the small screen by one final project. Broke was a sitcom about estranged
00:24sisters thrown back together when one of their husbands gets cut off from his trust fund
00:27leaving them strapped. Perrette played Jackie Dixon, a single mom who lets her sister and
00:32her husband move in with her and her son.
00:34Why are you talking in such a weird accent?
00:37I don't have an accent.
00:38The series lasted one season before being canceled due to low ratings. Interestingly,
00:43critics over on Rotten Tomatoes gave Broke a score of 67 percent, while audiences were
00:47less convinced, giving it 33 percent.
00:50When the cancellation was announced in May 2020, Perrette took to X, posting,
00:54This show restored my faith in people, in this industry. So grateful I worked with this
00:58cast and crew. Best people I've ever worked with. Healed me. Changed me. Made me whole.
01:03So blessed."
01:04And with that, she officially retired, exhaling a verbal sigh of relief on X, writing,
01:08I love you guys. I am free! To be the tiny little simple human I am.
01:14But lest you roll your eyes at the idea of her throwing away a lucrative career, Perrette
01:18had a few things to say on the subject in an October 2024 interview with Hello!. She
01:22explained that, for her, acting was a great escape at a time in her life when she needed
01:27one. But that was then. She went on to say,
01:29I'm not ungrateful for the benefits that it gave to me. But I'm a different person now,
01:34and I want to be here for it. The good and the bad and the painful.
01:38In April 2011, Perrette and two friends opened Donna Bell's Bake Shop in Midtown Manhattan.
01:43According to the store's website, they specialized in all-natural Southern baked goods and savories,
01:48and their mission was to develop new recipes inspired by Perrette's late mother, Donna
01:51Bell.
01:52Then the pandemic hit, and the lack of tourists and foot traffic took a steep toll on the
01:56business. Ultimately, the shop closed on Christmas weekend, 2020. The bakery posted the news
02:02on its Facebook page, but mentioned,
02:03If anyone is around the neighborhood, stop by the shop and pick a few things up. Everything
02:08freezes well.
02:09But the spirit of the bakery lives on in a cookbook co-written by Perrette, co-owner
02:13Darren Greenblatt, and head baker Matthew Sandusky.
02:16Launched in 2015, Donna Bell's Bake Shop, Recipes and Stories of Family, Friends and
02:21Food features the recipes used in the shop as well as photographs of the trio and Donna
02:25Bell, whose legacy lives on.
02:28In January 2021, Perrette's father died of COVID-19. On the anniversary of his death,
02:33she took to X to remember him, posting,
02:36One year ago, my beloved dad died of COVID. There were no vaccines then, just exhausted
02:40healthcare workers, dead bodies all over, and me saying goodbye on a nurse's cell phone.
02:46Along with the tweet, she posted photos of her and her dad, who'd been a firefighter.
02:50Perrette's fans were quick to respond, offering support and sympathy. She continues to post
02:54about her father on social media, always remembering him on his birthday.
02:57In 2022, she shared a photo of his military burial flag and dog tags on her Instagram,
03:02writing simply,
03:03Happy birthday, daddy.
03:05In 2023, she posted more photos with her dad, and a photo of his grave marker. She mentioned
03:10how she misses her father every day no less than three times in the caption.
03:14That summer, Perrette planted an heirloom rose plant called Firefighter in memory of
03:18her father, uncle, and cousin, who were also firefighters.
03:222021 continued to be a difficult year for Perrette. In September, she suffered a stroke,
03:27but kept it quiet until the following September, when she opened up on X.
03:30Oh my God, it's September 2nd. It's the one-year anniversary since I had a stroke.
03:38In a video attached to the post, she shared how tough the last two years had been, but
03:42that she's, quote, still here.
03:44Perrette went on to share other ways she'd come close to death, including a bad allergic
03:48reaction to her NCIS character's trademark black hair dye.
03:52It's an acquired allergy that you get if you've been dyeing your hair black for a really long
03:55time, so you don't suddenly get it, but it can be fatal.
03:58She's also a survivor of domestic violence, something she shared with her NCIS character.
04:03But through it all, she seems to find a way to remain upbeat.
04:06But I'm still here, and I'm so grateful.
04:09In 2023, Perrette opened up about her stroke in a fresh way, taking to Instagram an acknowledgment
04:14of her experience by writing,
04:16Today is my second re-birthday. Two years ago today I had a massive stroke. Two years
04:21ago today I survived.
04:23Perrette spends her time supporting and promoting causes that are important to her, including
04:27the LGBTQIA plus community.
04:30She regularly posts about her work with the Los Angeles LGBT Center. She speaks at their
04:34events, and participated in a 2021 telethon to raise money for the center, which offers
04:39a broad range of services from support groups to vocational training, public advocacy, and
04:43more.
04:44Perrette has appeared at the center's galas, and she shared a video about the center's
04:47closet, where trans men and women may have the opportunity to wear clothes that match
04:51the way they see themselves for the first time in their lives.
04:54I am an ally and supporter of equality for everyone, and I'm here to help make coming
04:59out of the closet a safer place to be.
05:02Perrette also shows her support on a national level through work with the No Hate campaign.
05:07In 2024, she appeared in a No Hate campaign advocating for equality and peace around the
05:12world.
05:13The photographs feature the former actor in white with the organization's logo on her
05:16cheek and duct tape covering her mouth.
05:19Social media is one of the tools the outspoken Perrette uses to add her voice to important
05:23conversations. These include encouraging people to get out and vote, advocating for peace
05:28in Ukraine, and trying to bring attention to the importance of ADA guidelines.
05:32She also used her platform to show her support for the release of WNBA player Brittany Griner
05:37when she was being held in Russia.
05:39But Perrette is more than a keyboard warrior. She gets involved with her community and uses
05:43her influence to convince others to join her in making the world a better place.
05:47She's a longtime supporter of the Los Angeles Zoo, to the point where, in 2023, she auctioned
05:53herself off as part of a zoo fundraiser called the Beastly Ball.
05:57Participants could bid on a casual dinner with the former actor and NSYNC band member
06:00Lance Bass.
06:02Perrette is also a big supporter of the Los Angeles Fire Department. Her father, uncle,
06:06and cousin were all firefighters, and she often remembers the first responders who
06:10were lost on September 11th. She encourages her followers to support their local firefighters
06:14with donations, and has shot PSAs for the LAFD.
06:18And there's more. Perrette has volunteered at the Ronald McDonald House of Los Angeles
06:22to support families with children diagnosed with cancer.
06:26Volunteers at Ronald McDonald houses typically cook meals or perform other household tasks,
06:30and she has also lent a hand to Project Angel Food, a non-profit organization that provides
06:34healthy meals to those in need.
06:37While Perrette insists that she's put her acting career behind her, she hasn't left
06:41the business altogether. Combining her activism with her artistry and experience, she moved
06:46behind the camera to direct a documentary short called Red Ribbons of Love.
06:49When I talk about my church, the one with the big red ribbons, people go, oh, I know
06:55that church.
06:56The film documents the 30-year history of the red ribbons on the tower of the Hollywood
07:00United Methodist Church, which first appeared at the height of the AIDS crisis. Red Ribbons
07:04of Love includes interviews with members of the clergy and archival footage that tells
07:08the story of how the church decided to put up the red ribbon and how the sociopolitical
07:12climate of the time impacted their decision.
07:14What I like to say is that our congregation is what heaven's gonna look like, because
07:19it's everyone.
07:20The film premiered at the Hollywood United Methodist Church on December 3rd, 2023.
07:25Perrette appeared on several local LA stations to promote the film, highlighting the importance
07:29of the story behind the red ribbon and what it represents. Red Ribbons of Love can be
07:33seen in its entirety on the Hollywood United Methodist Church YouTube page.
07:38Considering how big-hearted Perrette appears to be, it's no surprise that she also feels
07:42strongly about the animal community. She has three rescue dogs, Rosie, Bug, and Grace,
07:48whom she calls the Notorious RBG on Instagram.
07:51Her passion for rescue animals led her to work with the Amanda Foundation, an animal
07:55shelter in the Los Angeles area that not only provides care for lost and abandoned
07:59animals, but uses the proceeds from their full-service veterinary clinic to fund their
08:03work.
08:04And like any doting pet parent, Perrette regularly shares videos and photos of her dogs, including
08:09everything from her and the dogs cuddling to them barking at a gardener. As she put
08:13it on X,
08:14"...they save my life every day."
08:16In addition to posting about her own fur family and encouraging her followers to adopt and
08:20not shop, she makes her feelings about the perception of rescue dogs known.
08:24In July 2022, Perrette took to X to share her frustration about a Wayfair advertisement
08:29that showed a rescue dog destroying furniture, writing,
08:32"'How dare you! Shame!'
08:34She had a point. There's no reason to show rescue pups in a negative light when everyone
08:38knows that a purebred chihuahua in designer diamonds can be truly unhinged.