Imagine being so deep in your work that life’s biggest blows don’t reach you right away. That’s exactly what happened to Michael Weatherly, the familiar face from NCIS. He recently shared a heartbreaking story: it took him three whole days to learn his own sister had passed away.
The 57-year-old actor, who’s now stepping back into his role as Tony DiNozzo for the Paramount+ spin-off NCIS: Tony & Ziva, explained why he took a hiatus from acting. He told Hello! Magazine on September 3 that he felt completely burned out. "I had burned out into a small puddle," he said, reflecting on his time directing and acting in 125 episodes of Bull. "I started to see things coming and said, ‘This is exhausting.’" He also mentioned not connecting with his character in a way that felt natural, prompting him to take a break.
Weatherly detailed how being "so busy doing television" led to the agonizing delay in hearing about his sister. But her death wasn’t his only recent heartache. In 2023, his brother also passed away. Then, in 2024, his father died while he was already deep into production for NCIS: Tony & Ziva.
"It’s very interesting how many people have passed to the next plane in recent years," Weatherly shared. This series of losses, he added, "brought urgency back into my world."
Before his recent break, Weatherly was a household name from NCIS, playing Tony DiNozzo for 13 seasons. After that, he moved on to star in CBS’s Bull from 2016 to 2022. It was during this period that serious accusations arose.
A Look Back at Past Controversies
His former co-star, Eliza Dushku, accused him of sexual harassment. CBS ended up paying her a $9.5 million settlement after she detailed her claims. In a December 2018 Boston Globe article, Dushku described Weatherly’s behavior. She wrote, "Weatherly had a habit of staring at me fixedly and lecherously; once, he leaned into my body and inhaled, smelling me in a dramatic fashion."
Dushku also recalled another incident, saying, "As was recorded, after I messed up a line, he yelled in my face, ‘I’m going to put you over my knees and spank you like a little girl.’"
Weatherly issued an apology through The New York Times that same month. He stated, "During the filming of our show, I made some jokes mocking some lines from the script." He added, "When Eliza expressed to me that she was not comfortable with my language and attempt at humor, I was mortified to have offended her and apologized immediately." He concluded, "After reflecting on this, I now better understand that what I said was not funny or appropriate, and I regret the pain this caused Eliza."
Coming back to television wasn’t a snap decision for Weatherly. He admitted it took a lot of thought. "My wife and I have this conversation all the time," he shared in his Wednesday interview. "It’s very difficult to take time and look at oneself."
He dove deep into self-improvement. "You have to get to the bottom of yourself, and I managed to do it: I did a lot of therapy, a lot of reflection, and examined different things," he explained. This personal journey helped him change how he picks his roles.
He used to have a different mindset about work. "At a certain point in my career, I used to say: ‘If it feels wrong, then it must be right, because everything feels wrong,’" he remembered. "I took a lot of time to analyze those words carefully, and now, if it feels wrong, I say: ‘Let’s talk about it.’"
Weatherly feels more secure now, too. "Now I care much less about what people think of me," he stated. He quickly added, "But in a good way: I want to be understood."
Fans can catch Michael Weatherly in new episodes of NCIS: Tony & Ziva. They stream on Thursdays on Paramount+.