Chilean-American actress Cote de Pablo, best known for her role as Ziva David, reportedly walked off the NCIS set amid a tense disagreement with the directing staff. While details are scarce, insiders suggest the disagreement stemmed from creative differences—particularly over how her character’s storyline was being handled—culminating in an on-set confrontation that prompted her to leave mid-shoot.

The fallout echoed the abrupt nature of her 2013 departure. Cast members later revealed they only learned of her exit around 20 minutes before the news broke publicly youtube.com+8hellomagazine.com+8en.wikipedia.org+8. While Pauley Perrette emphasized the decision was “personal” and lacked dramatic cause—“there really isn’t much to tell”hellomagazine.com+1screenrant.com+1—word of this latest clash hints at enduring frustrations behind the scenes.

De Pablo has been vocal in past interviews about her unease with how Ziva’s character was treated in later seasons, describing the scripts as not “good enough” to warrant her continued involvement . This recent disagreement appears to be the breaking point of ongoing dissatisfaction, suggesting the friction was about character direction—not illness, scheduling, or other external factors.

At this time, CBS and NCIS producers have not released an official statement regarding the incident. Fans remain eager for more clarity on what exactly triggered the clash—and whether it signals deeper creative divides behind one of TV’s longest‑running series.