Why Jessica Left Suits: Explaining Gina Torres’ Exit

Gina Torres portrayed Jessica Pearson on the popular show Suits for several years, but she has since departed from the series. What was the reason for her departure before the finale?

Now available on Netflix, Suits, the popular serialized drama from USA Network, is introducing new viewers to its vibrant cast.

One individual from that ensemble is Gina Torres, who portrayed the stern but understanding character of Jessica Pearson for a total of six seasons.

Despite this, Torres departed from the show before the Season 6 finale, leaving fans questioning why a key character would leave before the series’ conclusion. Let’s analyze the information we have.

The Reason Behind Jessica’s Departure from Suits

Feeling overwhelmed by the constant demands of managing a prestigious law firm, Jessica decided to leave Suits.

During the initial six seasons of Suits, Jessica held a dominant role as she served as one of the managing partners at Pearson Darby Specter.

Despite frequently clashing with her colleague Harvey Specter and his protégé Mike Ross, Jessica consistently showed her support for her employees by taking risks, such as permitting Mike to work as a lawyer at the firm despite lacking a license.

Despite facing numerous challenges while representing high-profile clients, Jessica eventually became exhausted and chose to relocate to Chicago in order to pursue a less high-profile legal career and be closer to her partner, Jeff Malone (D.B. Woodside).

Gina Torres and DB Woodside in Suits — USA Network

The reason for Jessica’s exit closely mirrored the reason why Torres left the show in real life, as the actress explained to The New York Times in 2016, stating, “I needed to focus on my personal life.”

Torres clarified that the frequent commuting between her residence in Los Angeles and the filming location in Toronto greatly impacted her marriage with her husband, Laurence Fishburne, and their daughter.

Although Fishburne left Suits in order to prioritize spending time with her family, she still filed for divorce in November 2017. The divorce was ultimately completed in April 2018.

Despite officially departing her role as a regular on Suits after the Season 6 finale, Torres made several cameo appearances in Season 7 to conclude Jessica’s storyline in the main series and lay the groundwork for a spinoff featuring the character.

Despite taking full responsibility for Mike’s crime in order to protect Harvey and the firm, she ultimately lost her license to practice law in New York.

Despite facing opposition from her old enemies who attempted to have her disbarred from Chicago’s courts, Jessica made the decision to enter the political realm by working in the mayor’s office. She could still continue practicing law in Chicago, but chose to take on a new path.

As a result of this plot, Jessica’s spinoff series Pearson debuted on USA Network in July 2019. Regrettably, the show was cancelled after only one season.

Despite Suits fans’ sadness over Jessica’s departure, there was hope that she would appear in the spinoff show Suits: L.A.

Despite this, Torres has stated that she will not be reprising her role in the franchise reboot of Suits, as she explained to ScreenRant that “[Suits: L.A.] is set in a completely different universe where Jessica is not a character.”

Fans of Suits can continue to watch their beloved law firm partner anytime, as all nine seasons are currently streaming on Netflix.

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