Inside Michael Weatherly's Touching Tribute To His Former NCIS Co-Stars

Fans of "NCIS" were saddened when Michael Weatherly, known for his character Tony DiNozzo, left the show (via Newsweek). Weatherly was one of the show's original actors, jumping on during its 1st season. He stayed until Season 15 when he chose to leave and take the lead role in a new show, "Bull."

Weatherly told The Hollywood Reporter, "It came about at the right time. I was burnt out by NCIS and I was ready for a new challenge. Sometimes change is as good as a rest." He continued, "It really felt like a circle that had gone all the way around and I really felt happy with the resolution of character and my time on the show."

However, fans believed Weatherly's "NCIS" exit wasn't permanent. According to Express, fans felt he would be returning to the show at some point. The actor himself said he was open to "anything and everything" when it comes to an "NCIS" return.

Recently, Weatherly made a heartwarming tribute to his "NCIS" co-stars and fans are wondering if he will be returning to the show anytime soon.

Weatherly has a soft spot for his former NCIS co-stars

Although Weatherly stepped away from "NCIS" in 2016, it seems he still holds his former co-stars close to his heart. Recently, he caught himself watching an episode of the show and gave a heartfelt message about his friends at his old job (via CinemaBlend).

The episode he was tuning into was from the 9th season. He took to Twitter saying, "This morning with my coffee, tired of crazy news and a shocking lack of understanding in the world, I came across this rerun with Dad ... and it made me happy. Love to all and especially Senior. And The Perfect ⁦@SeanHMurray, of course." Attached to the Tweet was a clip of he and Sean Murray acting in a scene together (via CinemaBlend).

It's no secret that Weatherly loves his former "NCIS" colleagues. Talking to AssignmentX, he gushed about a moment he knew his relationship with his co-stars was special, "Mark Harmon, Pauley Perrette, David McCallum and myself, there was this moment as we walked out where, I don't know who took who's hands first, but the four of us held hands, sort of organically. You can't design that stuff. And we all got to the lip of the stage and looked at each other and had this moment of connectivity." 

There is no confirmation that Weatherly will return to the show, but it's clear he still has a soft spot for the show and its cast.