Over its 20+ year run, NCIS has featured countless actors, but outside of the main cast, Joe Spano holds the record for most appearances. Spano debuted as Tobias Fornell in the series’ first episode, “Yankee White,” and has appeared in 58 episodes, including the milestone 1,000th episode, “A Thousand Yards.” Through his long tenure, Spano has built strong bonds with many of the show’s stars, including Cote de Pablo, who shared an emotional story about his support during her departure as a series regular.
Cote de Pablo left NCIS two episodes into Season 11 but later returned for guest appearances in Seasons 16 and 17. Before her initial exit, she experienced a touching moment with Joe Spano, which she recounted on the podcast Off Duty: An NCIS Rewatch, alongside co-host Michael Weatherly. Reflecting on her departure, de Pablo revealed how Spano was one of the few who offered her unconditional support without prying into her reasons. She said:
“I have to thank you for something because you were one of the few people when I left…You never cared what those reasons were. You were the only person that came up to me, and you gave me a huge hug and you said congratulations. And I will never forget that because that was so beautiful, and you had no idea what I had gone through in order to make that decision.”
Although de Pablo has kept the specifics of her departure private, she previously mentioned “political things and the scripts not being good enough” as factors but later clarified that her comments were taken out of context. Regardless, Joe Spano’s simple gesture of support meant the world to her. Fighting back tears, de Pablo continued:
“It was such a generous thing to do… Because ultimately, that was a really tough time for me, and you were the only person that never questioned. You came at me with such an open heart… The gift you gave me was so massive… I don’t think you understand what it was like to be held in that way in that moment.”
Spano, who appeared in the episodes “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot” and “Past, Present, and Future,” acknowledged that he had a sense she needed that support at the time. De Pablo emphasized the importance of sharing this story since it was the first time she’d seen Spano since filming those episodes.
For those wanting to revisit Cote de Pablo’s final episodes from Season 11, or any part of the NCIS franchise, everything is available to stream on Paramount+. In other exciting news, de Pablo and Michael Weatherly are currently filming the upcoming spinoff NCIS: Tony & Ziva in Budapest, which will stream exclusively on Paramount+. While no release date has been set for Tony & Ziva, fans can look forward to NCIS Season 22 and the new prequel NCIS: Origins premiering on CBS on Monday, October 14, 2024.
