Patrick J. Adams on Leaving Suits: ‘It Was the Right Thing for My Marriage’

Patrick J. Adams, beloved for his role as Mike Ross on the hit legal drama Suits, has finally opened up about why he chose to step away from the series after seven successful seasons. Speaking on Jesse Tyler Ferguson’s Dinner’s on Me podcast, the 43-year-old actor shared that his decision was deeply personal and centered on his relationship with his wife, Pretty Little Liars star Troian Bellisario.

“It was a bunch of different things,” Adams explained. “Mostly, I felt done.” Reflecting on his character’s journey, he said, “The show starts [with], like, my character has a secret. So there was all this interesting stuff to play for a guy who was lying and hiding out, and the only person who knew his secret was this other guy. And over the course of seven seasons, that was all peeled away, and everybody knew everything.”

Adams revealed that his departure also aligned with a pivotal time in his personal life. He and Bellisario, who had been together for the duration of Suits, were preparing to transition from a long-distance relationship to building a life together. The couple married in 2016 after years of balancing demanding schedules.

“I never regretted the decision for a second,” Adams said. “I knew it was the right thing for my marriage — which, I was not married at the time, but we were getting married. We got married in 2016. And we had been away from each other for seven years.”

He elaborated on their plans for the future, adding, “We wanted to be together. We wanted to have kids, which we knew would take a couple of years before we were comfortable doing that. It was time for us to start our lives.”

Adams played Mike Ross, a brilliant college dropout with a photographic memory who rises through the ranks of a prestigious law firm, from 2011 to 2019. His performance earned him acclaim, but by the end of season seven, Adams felt it was time to step back and prioritize his personal life.

Adams’ decision to leave Suits was met with understanding from fans, as his departure coincided with Meghan Markle’s exit from the show following her engagement to Prince Harry. Together, these changes marked the end of an era for Suits, but Adams remains fondly remembered for his role and the dynamic storytelling that defined his tenure on the series.