Why Michael Weatherly Left ‘NCIS’: Star’s Departure & Return Explained

It’s never easy saying goodbye to fan-favorite characters, and it was especially true when Michael Weatherly‘s Tony DiNozzo departed NCIS during its Season 13 run.

Thankfully, it wasn’t goodbye forever, as Tony walked back into the long-running series for its ongoing 24th season at CBS and even reunited alongside OG lead Mark Harmon, who memorably left the show in 2021 during Season 19’s run, for CBS’s other spinoff, NCIS: Origins. But what led Weatherly to leave the series originally in May 2016?

The answer is pretty self-explanatory, as Weatherly went on to star in CBS’s since-concluded drama Bull, in which he took on the leading role as Dr. Jason Bull, who headed up a trial consulting firm, using psychology and tech to help his clients in court. Bull debuted in September 2016 and became part of CBS’s fall lineup alongside NCIS.

When his exit was initially announced in January 2016, Weatherly addressed fans directly and wrote on X, “DiNozzo is a wonderful, quixotic character & I couldn’t have had more fun playing him over the past 13 seasons.” He added, “I will miss the amazing crew & cast, who are like family to me, & to the fans all over the world – THANK YOU, it’s been a fantastic ride!”

DiNozzo is a wonderful, quixotic character & I couldn’t have had more fun playing him over the past 13 seasons https://t.co/GR7YSsmsKJ

— Michael Weatherly (@M_Weatherly) January 5, 2016

Ultimately, a few months later in 2016, Weatherly told reporters at TCA, per The Hollywood Reporter, “I was burnt out by NCIS, and I was ready for a new challenge.” He added, “Sometimes change is as good as a rest.”

The change lasted for just under ten years as Bull wrapped its run in 2022, and Weatherly made his first NCIS comeback with a Season 21 episode in 2024, which set up his return in the one-season spinoff NCIS: Tony & Ziva, in which he returned alongside Cote de Pablo for a European-set adventure.

The ten-episode show played out in 2025, and now, in 2026, ten years after Weatherly stepped out of the NCIS universe, he’s back in a semi-regular capacity, proving goodbyes aren’t always forever.

NCIS, Tuesdays, 8/7c, CBS

NCIS: Origins, Tuesdays, 10/9c, CBS