Pauley Perrette says she left 'NCIS' after 'multiple physical assaults'

By Natalie Stone

Pauley Perrette is speaking out about her recent departure from NCIS.

“I refused to go low, that’s why I’ve never told publicly what happened. But there are tabloid articles out there that are telling total lies about me. If you believe them? Please leave me alone. You clearly don’t know me. (Sorry guys, had to be said),” Perrette, 49, tweeted Saturday, days after her emotional May 8 finale, when she said goodbye to her character of 15 seasons, Abby Sciuto.

A day later, Perrette posted three more tweets, in which she claimed a “machine” is “keeping me silent” and alleged that there were “multiple physical assaults.”

“Maybe I’m wrong for not ‘spilling the beans’ Telling the story, THE TRUTH. I feel I have to protect my crew, jobs and so many people. But at what cost? I don’t know. Just know, I’m trying to do the right thing, but maybe silence isn’t the right thing about crime. I’m… Just… ?” she tweeted Sunday.

“There is a ‘machine’ keeping me silent, and feeding FALSE stories about me. A very rich, very powerful publicity ‘machine’. No morals, no obligation to truth, and I’m just left here, reading the lies, trying to protect my crew. Trying to remain calm. He did it,” she continued.

She concluded in another tweet: “I’ve been supporting ant-bullying programs forever. But now I KNOW because it was ME! If it’s school or work, that you’re required to go to? It’s horrifying. I left. Multiple Physical Assaults. I REALLY get it now. Stay safe. Nothing is worth your safety. Tell someone.”

A rep for the CBS drama series did not respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.

Ahead of the finale, Perrette spoke with PEOPLE about the impact her character — she played the forensic scientist on the procedural drama since 2003 — made on young girls, and how she’s been “completely obsessed” with crime stories since she was a kid.

“I lived in Georgia at the time of the Atlanta child murders, and I was around the same age of those kids, and I lived right off the Chattahoochee River,” she said of the series of murders that were committed in the city from 1979 to 1981. “I was very young then, but I was obsessed with that case. Then I got really obsessed with Jonestown. I was way too young to be obsessed with these things, but I would every cut out every article — I really don’t like bad guys.”

Perrette said that in her own life, she works very closely with the Los Angeles Police Department and has worked on several cases with John Walsh from America’s Most Wanted.

“[John and I] have so much in common because we are both obsessed with catching bad guys,” she said. “That’s how it all started. I really don’t like criminals. Life on planet Earth is hard enough.’”

Perrette, who said she has been stalked for the last 14 years and opened up about it during a 48 Hours exposé in 2017, said she’s also continuing to push for updated stalking laws.

“I have a permanent restraining order, but those can only do so much,” she said. “The biggest problem we have right now is that the stalking laws have not been updated since the Internet. That is just ridiculous because a lot of stalkers use the Internet, that’s their main tool. There’s a lot we have to get changed but especially Internet stalking laws.”

After her goodbye episode, the actress didn’t go without thanking her fans for all of their support throughout the years in a video message shared to NCIS‘ Twitter page.

“I hope that the fans will remember everything that Abby has taught all of us over the course of this entire run,” said Perrette. “I have learned from my fans just such an incredible love and support. Abby fans are incredible, they really are the best. I can’t imagine a fan group being any better than that.”

She continued, “They really make me smile. My fans are funny and they’re smart and they’re kind and they’re caring and they’ve been so supportive. Not only of Abby, on the show, but of me, of Pauley. I love them. I’m proud of the group of fans that Abby has attracted because it’s a pretty amazing group of people.”

At the end of the video, Perrette addresses her fans directly, “To all the fans around the world, I want to tell you, with all of my heart, how much I love you guys. How grateful I am, for all of your support of both Abby and me over all of these years. And just to remember, with me, everything that Abby’s given to us. And everything she’s taught us. I cannot thank you enough. I am so blessed to have fans like you and it means everything to me. Thank you.”