Here's Why Patrick J. Adams Left Suits

Patrick J. Adams' claim to fame was portraying a character who could outsmart Harvard-educated lawyers despite lacking formal legal education. In the hit legal drama "Suits," he starred as Mike Ross, a quick-witted college dropout who found himself working for one of the top law firms in New York City thanks to his photographic memory and sharp intellect. For seven seasons, viewers witnessed his journey from being a university expellee who illegally took the LSATs for others to being a respected law associate. But in 2018, he made the decision to leave the show.

Adams announced that he was departing from the show when its seventh season wrapped, coinciding with Meghan Markle's exit from "Suits" as she was set to marry Prince Harry. "Mike Ross has taught me a lot about commitment, hard work, and the power of believing in yourself, and I feel blessed that now we both get to walk out into the lives that we never dreamed we would actually be lucky enough to live," he said in a lengthy statement at the time. "I'm excited to now step across the screen and become solely a fan of a show that I know has much more in store in the years to come."

While Adams' decision to leave the series came as a shock to viewers, the actor had a legitimate reason for bowing out. He later revealed that he simply wanted to spend more time with his wife, "Pretty Little Liars" alum Troian Bellisario.

In the same year that Patrick J. Adams made his exit from the dramedy "Suits," he welcomed his first daughter Aurora with his wife Troian Bellisario, whom he married in 2016. Speaking with The Hollywood Reporter, the star shared that his choice to leave was primarily driven by his desire to settle down and be more present for his growing family.

"After seven seasons — really, eight years of being away from home and away from my now-wife and there was that pressure," he said. At the same time, Adams also felt that it was only natural for his character to make an exit given the storyline. "I started thinking about leaving at the end of the first half of season six after Mike was released from prison. From a story point of view, I was a little unsure of what was left for him to do."

Ultimately, he was able to work out a compelling plotline with series creator Aaron Korsh and co-star Gabriel Macht to justify Mike Ross' departure and make it as organic as possible. After wrapping up his time on the show, Adams took a step back from working altogether to relax and think about what his next steps would be. "It's nice to be home," he admitted. "It's really nice to be with Troian [and] our dogs, and to take the time to figure out exactly what shape I want to take my career after this."

Patrick J. Adams went on to explore all sorts of projects after his exit from "Suits," including making a debut on Broadway for a revival production of "Take Me Out" in 2020. He also tried his hand at being behind the camera, directing a short film called "We Are Here" that he and his wife Troian Bellisario wrote, and appeared on various TV shows, including "The Right Stuff" on Disney+ and "A League of Their Own" on Amazon Prime.

But while he expanded his acting repertoire, Adams decided to revisit his role as Mike Ross one more time for the "Suits" series finale. In a statement to Deadline, he shared: "I couldn't be happier to be part of the final chapter of 'Suits.' I've missed my TV family, and am looking forward to seeing what kind of trouble Mike Ross can stir up at the firm one last time. But if the wardrobe department thinks they're getting back the suits I stole when I left, they're going to be very disappointed."

In an interview with ET, Adams also dished that what prompted him to return was to experience closing the show with his co-stars and colleagues he's come to know as family. "Ultimately, it was about coming back," he said. "It was about, 'We'd love to get the band back together,' basically. Do one last trip around the world ... For me, it was just an excuse to come and see everybody and really be here for the final moment."