Now that Michael Weatherly has departed Bull with its finale airing on May 26, rumors have started swirling that he could potentially return to one of his most loved roles as Special Agent Tony DiNozzo Jr. from NCIS, who he played for 13 seasons.
The 20th season of NCIS is slated to premiere this fall, and its showrunner Steven D. Binder said he would “absolutely love to do something like that,” when asked if fans could expect even a quick appearance from Weatherly, who departed the show in 2016. “That’s going to depend on Michael Weatherly,” Binder added. saying that they considered a guest spot in the past but it felt “not right” while he was working on Bull.
Even though Binder would love to see Tony get back in touch with the team, he also said the last time he spoke with Weatherly, the actor indicated, “he’s going to take some time off and rest because he went from a very difficult schedule on NCIS to headlining his own show for six years, through Covid.” It seems like this is certainly possible in the future, but likely not in the super near future.
Two years into his tenure at Bull, Weatherly was involved in a controversy when Eliza Dushku accused him of inappropriate behavior on set while filming a recurring role in the first season. He was recorded making several inappropriate comments, in a 2021 statement in front of the House Judiciary Committee, Dushku said, “in my first week on my new job I found myself the brunt of crude, sexualized and lewd verbal assaults. I suffered near-constant sexual from my co-star.”
Dushku was fired from the role that she said was supposed to be a six-year commitment after she informed Bull producers of his behavior. CBS eventually settled with Dushku for $9.5 million.
