Back in February, NCIS actors Michael Weatherly and Sean Murray briefly reunited for an episode on the 2024 TV schedule honoring the late David McCallum. This marked the first time the two had shared screen time on the popular CBS show since Weatherly’s exit in 2016. When both were series regulars, playing Tony DiNozzo and Timothy McGee respectively, they enjoyed fun times both on and off camera. Weatherly fondly recalled how they used to prank each other on set with various foods, a memory that is both amusing and slightly gross.
### How Michael Weatherly Pranked Sean Murray
On the latest episode of “Off Duty: An NCIS Rewatch,” hosted by Weatherly and Cote de Pablo (who played Ziva David), guest Brian Dietzen (Dr. Jimmy Palmer) joined the conversation. Weatherly shared a story about how he used Clif Bars to prank Murray:
“Clif Bars are these granola, oatmeal-y kind of things, and if you get them warm, you can really shape them into anything you want, very poo-like. I would take two of them, flatten them out, and pop them into Sean Murray’s toilet in his trailer. Sean would come running from the car, needing to use the bathroom urgently after shooting some scenes, only to be greeted by what looked like an unfortunate visit to his toilet. I’d wait outside and hear him react with ‘Oh!’ That’s when I knew he had discovered the prank.”
It’s safe to say that Clif Bars will never use this particular quality as a selling point. Nevertheless, Weatherly’s prank was both cleverly executed and timed to perfection.
### How Sean Murray Got Back at Michael Weatherly
If Weatherly’s prank seemed gross, Murray’s retaliation took it up a notch. He mixed a Clif Bar with other foods to create his own disgusting concoction. Weatherly recounted:
“About a week later, I went to my trailer, sat down, and immediately smelled something awful. When I checked the toilet, it looked like someone had a severe bout of diarrhea and didn’t flush. I called for an assistant director, thinking it was real. Then I looked closer and saw that someone had used a boiled egg yolk and a Clif Bar to recreate the mess. I left my trailer, walked into the squad room, and Sean was casually reading over papers. He greeted me with ‘How you doing, bud?’ and I responded the same, realizing he was the culprit.”
This prank war, though gross, showcased their playful camaraderie. It’s unclear if they continued pranking each other or if an executive producer eventually told them to stop.
### Future Projects
While Sean Murray continues to star in NCIS with Brian Dietzen, Gary Cole, Wilmer Valderrama, Katrina Law, Diona Reasonover, and Rocky Carroll, Michael Weatherly is preparing to team up with Cote de Pablo for the spinoff “NCIS: Tony & Ziva.” Set to be released exclusively on Paramount+, it will follow Tony and Ziva as they go on the run in Europe after Tony’s security company is attacked. Their daughter Tali will play a significant role, and a few new characters have been teased, though no castings have been announced yet.
“NCIS: Tony & Ziva” will begin production later this summer and likely debut in 2025. NCIS Season 22 will arrive on CBS this fall, alongside “NCIS: Origins,” a prequel about Leroy Jethro Gibbs.