De Pablo decided not to sign on for Season 11, despite being offered "a lot of money" to stay on the hit CBS drama. Her character, Ziva David, will be written out sometime this fall."It's very emotional," Perrette said. "We love her and we all support her. It was her decision and there's nothing but love there."
The two noted the strong fan reaction to de Pablo's exit, calling "NCIS" lovers "the most amazing fans."
"I think people feel very strongly about all these things, because it is like a family," Dietzen said. "You have this paternal figure in Mark Harmon, you have this crazy aunt next to you, you have this wacky grandpa that lives downstairs with the dead bodies. And Cote's character is a part of that as well, and we're definitely going to miss her.
