Right out of producer and screenplay writer Aaron Korsh’s genius mind came out the beloved legal drama called Suits. Released first in 2011, this iconic show has been through its fair share of ups and downs, including actors announcing their departure from the show. We are here to tell you all about the character Jessica Lourdes Pearson and why she ended up leaving the show.
Unless you have been living under a rock, there is absolutely no way that you do not know about the existence of the show. Fans already know that Suits takes us to a fictional law firm in New York where Mike Ross manages to impress his boss, Harvey Specter, with his photographic memory.
Following this, we watch Harvey and Mike go about the entire city fighting and winning cases, all the while having to deal with competition and rivalry within and outside their law firm. Apart from these two scene-stealers, the show has Rick Hoffman, Meghan Markle, Sarah Rafferty, and Gina Torres, among many others.
With its big legal terms and intense office lifestyle, it did not take the show very long to rise to success. It has for itself a devoted fandom that truly appreciates the chemistry between the cast members, especially the story arc shared by the two main leads, Harvey and Mike.
Despite its success, the show has had a lot of its actors announce their departure from the show, including Meghan Markle, Patrick J. Adams, and Gina Torres. All of these actors left for different reasons, but we will focus more on Gina Torres’ character, Jessica Pearson, and why she bid goodbye to the series.
Why Did Jessica Leave Suits?
Jessica Lourdes Pearson was a part of the main cast of the show till season six, after which she remained in the show as a recurring member, and by the eighth season, she was completely gone. In Suits, she was the co-founder of the firm Pearson Hardman, along with Daniel Hardman.
By the end of the first season, Hardman had made a return to the firm, and even after knowing that Mike was working at the firm without a law degree, she could not do anything about it. She went on a war against Hardman to get his name off the firm, which she won, and moved on to a merging contract with Edward Darby, renaming it Pearson Darby.
In season three, Harvey Specter had done enough for the firm to become a partner, which led to the removal of Darby’s name and the addition of Harvey’s, making it Pearson Specter. In the show, Jessica had done her best to take the firm forward and help it grow as much as possible. She was stiff at times but, most often than not, stood up against the wrong.
It was in season six when Jessica had just successfully defended a death row prisoner and even stood up in defense of Mike Ross, that her true purpose dawned upon her. She realizes once again why she got into this business, deciding that she wants to have a more direct positive impact on the people around her.
This was the mindset with which she had started her career, and she felt like this sense of purpose had come back to her after a long time. With this new direction in mind, Jessica decided to drop her title in the firm, leave the corporate world, and shift to someplace entirely.
She decides to move to Chicago along with a fellow colleague, Malone, in hopes of giving back to society in a more direct manner. While this was the reason why the character, Jessica, left the firm and eventually faded from the show, the actress Gina Torres left the show for similar reasons as well.
After being with the show for so long, she revealed that she had become tired and that the weariness of constantly flying back and forth between Toronto and Los Angeles had started to affect her personal life.
Not only did she want to spend more time with her family, but she also wanted to indulge in more philanthropic activities, even laying the foundation for a non-profit organization called, Archewell alongside Prince Harry.
Another major reason why the actress announced her departure from the show after the end of the sixth season was because that was also the time around which her contract with the show came to an end. She decided not to renew the contract, choosing to focus on herself at that moment.
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