‘NCIS’ season 11: Talking the latest Cote de Pablo story, and also reasoning

ZivaJust as many “NCIS” fans are probably going to continue doing for some time, we are here for the major purpose of talking about Cote de Pablo’s departure, and just what it means for the show. What is somewhat (but not completely) surprising is that if you listen to one source, it could be all related to money.

According to Showbiz411, the primary issue at the center of the negotiation was whether or not Cote was going to receive money that was close to what her on-screen partner Michael Weatherly was making, but unfortunately, the numbers just were not lining up for all parties involved:

“She was asking for $225,000, closer to what Michael is making per episode. And the show wouldn’t do it. It wasn’t going to happen. She was being offered about $200,000, which is pretty good, and was up from what she had been making.”

This may all sound dramatic and it most certainly is, but there are also a few other important things to consider here. For one, Cote’s rep tells the website that the numbers discussed in the report “sound off,” and only the people directly involved in negotiations really know what happened. We know that there was something that broke down during talks between the studio and the actress, if for no other reason than that we heard last spring that there were no plans to write Ziva off.

But at the end of the day, does it really even matter if Cote is gone due to money, or for a desire to try anything new? It really doesn’t, and it seems like the wrong idea to sit here and nit-pick over it, given that she still has fond feelings for the cast, and they are also trying to move forward with the show. For those threatening to stop watching, this seems rather unfair to all the actors who had nothing to do with the negotiation, and who Cote would almost surely wish well the rest of the way.

At least take some consolation in this, if you have not heard already: She will be appearing in multiple episodes to tie together the story.

Photo: CBS

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