“Suits” star Patrick J. Adams appeared on the latest episode of Jesse Tyler Ferguson’s “Dinner’s on Me” podcast and opened up about his exit from “Suits.” Adams was a series regular on the USA legal drama for seven seasons. He played Michael James Ross opposite Gabriel Macht as Harvey Specter. Adams returned for the final two episodes of the series but otherwise absent from its final two seasons.
“I wasn’t taking good care of my mental health and I was drinking too much [at] the end of season seven,” Adams revealed about his exit. “I was in a zone of living a pretty unexamined 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.”
“I would numb myself [to] deal with my insecurity and my fears,” he continued. “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. 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.’ The best thing I think I ever did for myself was stop stop drinking. It just needed to happen in order for all these other things to happen.”
“Suits” aired 134 episodes between 2011 and 2019. The show’s popularity was renewed last year when it arrived on Netflix. Adams said on the podcast that by the time Season 8 was gearing up, the only reason he could think of for staying was because of the financial gain. He consulted his mom, who advised him against returning if it was only for money.
“The only reason to stay was … money,” Adams said. “I didn’t know what else to offer. 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.”
The “Suits” franchise is now being revived with the upcoming spinoff series “Suits: LA,” which is set to premiere Feb. 23, 2025 on NBC. Macht is returning as Harvey Specter in a recurring role across three episodes. Adams, meanwhile, hosts a “Suits” rewatch podcast with co-star Sarah Rafferty.
Despite the personal troubles he faced during his “Suits” run, Adams said that he’s “filled with so much compassion for myself” when he looks back at the series, adding: “[I’m able] to be kinder to myself and realize how amazing this entire group of people were.”
