Mark Harmon Clarifies Details About His NCIS Departure

Years removed from playing Leroy Jethro Gibbs, Mark Harmon clarifies the real reason why he left NCIS. CBS’ longest-running police procedural survived multiple character exits throughout its two-decade stint on TV. However, it persisted amid these losses because Gibbs remained the unit’s formidable leader. That’s until Harmon left in NCIS season 19, and since then, he hasn’t returned. There were rumors about why he wanted to leave the show that he spearheaded for almost 20 years.

Now, two years after Harmon left NCIS as Gibbs, he reveals on The Kelly Clarkson Show the real reason for his decision. Read his full quote below:

“I think for the longest time, I was just tired. Part of taking the job [involved] being home, with a young family, not traveling so much doing movies. The first day, we worked 22 hours. So I thought, ‘That’s not exactly what I thought this was going to be.’ But we had a lot of days like that in the first four years.