Patrick J. Adams shocked the entireSuitsfan base when he, and his co-star Meghan Markle, left the mega-hit legal drama after the seventh season.But, the actor had a very personal, heartbreaking reason for doing so.Adams played Michael “Mike” James Ross from the show’s very first episode. After being kicked out of Harvard and running a side hustle, cheating on test papers and selling weed, Mike somehow landed a job at the prestigious Pearson Hardman law firm under themaverick attorney, Harvey Specter (Gabriel Macht).Suitsdefined the “guys being guys” legal drama, where suave, sexy lawyers solved cases, made too much money, and looked great while doing it.But making the show was far from a positive experience for Adams.
Appearing on theDinner’s on Mepodcast with Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Adams opened up about his struggles with alcohol abuse while making the later seasons ofSuits.“I wasn’t taking good care of my mental health and I was drinking too much [at] the end of Season 7,“he began. “I was in a zone of living a pretty un-examined life. Pretty miserable [and] I would say, pretty depressed.I didn’t have the tools to deal with that depression beyond just spending money and drinking too much,and not really knowing how to talk about it.” Adams' dependency on alcohol stemmed from his insecurities about being on set, and it had a major effect on his personal life. He explained:
“I would numb myself [to] deal with my insecurity and my fears. And they just weren’t working. Andthey were taking a toll on my relationship, for sure, but also just making me a very not present father.”
At that moment, Adams quit drinking, saying “That for me was a breaking point when I was like, ‘I think I should stop drinking probably, because I don’t wanna be that dad.'“He described going sober as “the best thing I think I ever did for myself.”
Patrick J. Adams Would Have Only Stayed on ‘Suits’ For the “Money”
Suitsis one of the most streamed shows of all time, thanks in large part to it streaming on Netflix last year. With seven seasons under his belt, Patrick J. Adams initiallyplanned on returning for Season 8,but his heart wasn’t in it, and staying would have felt dishonest.“The only reason to stay was… money. I didn’t know what else to offer,“he admitted.
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When Adams left, his long-time co-star Gabriel Macht continued playing Harvey Specter for another two seasons. To replace Mike Ross in the buddy-lawyers dynamic,Suitsbrought in Katherine Heigl as veteran lawyer Samantha Wheeler. Over the last few years,Adams has occasionally regretted leaving the show when he did,but for the wrong reasons. He explained:
“Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night and think about the money [Gabriel Macht] made those last two years, but I never regretted the decision for a second. It was the right thing for my marriage. … It was time.”
Adams didn’t completely leaveSuitsbehind after Season 7. While he was absent for the entire eighth season, he returned for a handful of episodes in Season 9, including the series finale. The main series ended in 2019, but the franchise continues withSuits L.A.The spin-off stars Stephen Amell, Josh McDermitt, Lex Scott Davis, Bryan Greenberg, and Troy Winbush.Gabriel Macht is also returning as Harvey Specterin the new series.
