Cote de Pablo’s sudden departure from NCIS remains one of the most emotional moments in the show’s history. Fans were devastated when she walked away from her role as Ziva David, and now, years later, her words still echo with pain: “I couldn’t stay.”

The actress opened up in a rare interview about the emotional weight behind her exit. While she didn’t attack the show directly, she made it clear that something wasn’t right behind the scenes. “They were putting Ziva in situations I didn’t believe in,” she said. “I didn’t think it was fair to the character, and I couldn’t stay just to keep going through the motions.”

Her choice wasn’t just a professional one—it was personal. De Pablo admitted that leaving the cast and crew was incredibly difficult, but staying under circumstances she no longer felt connected to would have been worse. “It broke my heart to leave, but I had to listen to my instincts.”

The void she left was impossible to ignore. Ziva’s absence changed the tone of the series, and many fans never truly moved on. Even after her brief return, that moment of walking away still lingers—both for the audience and for de Pablo herself. “It was never easy,” she said. “But it was necessary.”