Suits star Patrick J. Adams reveals 'breaking point' that forced him to quit show as dark reason he left is exposed
Suits fans were blindsided back in 2018 when, after seven seasons of the show, actor Patrick J. Adams announced his resignation.
This week, however, in a long awaited admission, the Canadian-American star has opened up on his exit, revealing what had pushed him to the 'breaking point'.
Adams bagged the role of Mike Ross back in 2011, with the character serving as his big-break into mainstream television.
For those who've yet to sink their teeth into award-winning legal drama, it follows a genius university expellee who accidentally falls into a job interview for a prestigious, big-city law firm.
Advert
Despite his awkwardness - and controversial past - his photographic memory impresses bosses, and he is hired as an associate, closing cases with attorney buddy Harvey Specter (Gabriel Macht), and falling in love with paralegal Rachel Zane (Meghan Markle).
Fans adored Adams' portrayal of the bumbling brain-box, and in 2012, his performance saw him nominated for a Screen Actors Guild award.
Naturally, therefore, Suits were heartbroken when six years later, Adams quit the USA Network series without seemingly giving much of an explanation.
It's only until this week, however, that fans of the 43-year-old have learnt what spurred his exit after he revealed he'd been struggling with bad mental health behind the scenes, as well as an alcohol addiction.
Appearing on the Dinner's On Me podcast with Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Adams said: "I wasn’t taking good care of my mental health and I was drinking too much [at] the end of season seven.
"I was in a zone of living a pretty unexamined life. Pretty miserable [and] I would say, pretty depressed."
He went on: "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."
Delving deeper into his drinking habits, he continued: "I would numb myself [to] deal with my insecurity and my fears. And they just weren’t working.
"And they were taking a toll on my relationship, for sure, but also just making me a very not present father."
Adams is married to fellow actor, Pretty Little Liars star Troian Bellisario, with the pair tying the knot in 2016, seven years after they first met when cast together in the play, Equivocation.
Just months prior to his exit from Suits, he became a father for the first time when the couple welcomed a daughter named Aurora.
"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 said.
"The best thing I think I ever did for myself was stop drinking. It just needed to happen in order for all these other things to happen."
The couple have since welcomed another baby girl, a daughter named Elliot, born in 2021.
The only thing that served as motivation to remain on the show was the hefty wage slips he'd been earning.
"I didn’t know what else to offer," Adams explained. "Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night and think about the money [Macht] made those last two years, but I never regretted the decision [to leave] for a second.
"It was the right thing for my marriage - it was time."
Topics: TV And Film, US News, Celebrity
Rhianna Benson