Charle Barnett’s Peter Mills was written out of “Chicago Fire” to make room for other characters. Barbie Ferreira left “Euphoria” because her character Kat Hernandez had limited storyline options left.
Sometimes, the departure of a star whom fans saw as key to a show’s popularity might be a simple contract issue. For instance, Regé-Jean Page’s Simon Basset left “Bridgerton” simply because his contract was up and the esteemed Duke of Hastings opted to go explore other things. A similar thing happened with Gina Torres, who starred in the USA Network legal drama “Suits” as Jessica Pearson for six seasons before departing the show in 2016. In an interview with The New York Times, Torres confirmed that her exit was the simple matter of her contract ending:
“My contract was up, so this wasn’t a power play that went terribly wrong.”
Torres also alluded to personal difficulties that made the decision to leave the show necessary:
“I think the public doesn’t understand the rigors of shooting a show for an actor, much less when you’re on location and away from home. At one point I approached [‘Suits’ showrunner Aaron Korsh] and said: ‘It’s not that I don’t love the show and love Jessica, who is my alter ego. But my life is my life, and I need to take care of it.’ And everyone was completely supportive. Leaving was hard, especially when I do so with a heavy heart. “
