Patrick J. Adams may have become a household name as Mike Ross on Suits, but behind the sharp suits and genius persona lies a story far more human—and far more complicated. While his on-screen charm won over millions of fans, Adams’ real-life struggles have shaped the man he is today. From career roadblocks to personal demons, read on to learn more about Patrick J. Adams and his journey of resilience, redemption, and raw honesty.
A Rocky Path to Stardom
It’s easy to assume that Patrick J. Adams’ career was all smooth sailing after landing the role of Mike Ross, but the reality was far from glamorous. Before Suits came along, Adams found himself stuck in a cycle of near-misses and letdowns. An indie film role fresh out of college seemed promising—until the production company went bankrupt, leaving him stranded in Alberta, Canada. “I was stuck in Red Deer, Alberta, they wouldn’t even fly us home,” Adams shared with the Cape Cod Times.
Later, he landed a TV show gig, only to have the project crumble around him. Reflecting on that experience, he revealed, “I probably would be addicted to painkillers and just really unhappy, if that whole thing had worked out. It was not a great show, and it fell apart.” Just as things looked bleak, Suits arrived like a lifeline. “I was pretty miserable. Everybody on my team was trying to find a great project that would pull me out of the hole that I was in, and along came Mike Ross.”
Struggles with Alcohol Behind the Fame
The success of Suits came with a price. Behind the scenes, Adams was struggling with alcohol, a coping mechanism for the stress and pressures of Hollywood. By the seventh season, his drinking had reached a breaking point. “I wasn’t taking good care of my mental health, and I was drinking too much [at] the end of Season 7,” Adams admitted on Jesse Tyler Ferguson’s Dinner’s on Me podcast. “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.”
Adams realized that his habits weren’t just affecting his mental health—they were making him miserable. He had been staying on the show for the paycheck but knew deep down that it was time to leave. “It’s time to go home and do some work and change some things up,” he shared.
The Impact on Family Life
Adams’ struggles didn’t stop at work—they seeped into his home life as well. As a father to two daughters, Aurora and Elliot, Adams began to realize he was falling short of being the present, engaged dad he wanted to be. “[I was] still trying to live my life as a 25-year-old and doing my patterns of, like, how I would numb myself and take care of myself and, you know, deal with my insecurity and my fears,” he revealed. “And they just weren’t working. And they were taking a toll on my relationship for sure, but also just making me, like, a very not present father.”
The breaking point came when Adams realized how much he was missing out on with his kids. “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,'” he confessed. Quitting drinking became a turning point, allowing him to fully embrace fatherhood and rebuild the relationships that mattered most. “The best thing I think I ever did for myself was stop drinking. It just needed to happen in order for all these other things to happen.”
Marriage Under Pressure
Adams’ marriage to Pretty Little Liars star Troian Bellisario faced its own set of challenges. The couple spent years apart due to their busy schedules, and Adams knew his drinking was adding strain. Leaving Suits allowed him to shift his priorities and focus on his marriage, which he knew needed attention. “After seven seasons—really, eight years of being away from home and away from my now-wife and there was that pressure,” he told The Hollywood Reporter. “At the moment, I’m interested in taking a break. It’s nice to be home. It’s really nice to be with Troian, our dogs and to take the time to figure out exactly what shape I want to take my career after this.”
Adams later admitted that alcohol was a significant obstacle in his marriage. “There was really no way I was gonna take my mental health seriously, take my physical health seriously, work on my marriage, work on my friendships, you know, deal with my fears and my anxiety. I just couldn’t have done any of it if alcohol was still in the picture,” he said. Ultimately, he left Suits, ditched the booze, and put his focus where it mattered: his family. “I never regretted the decision for a second,” he said. “It was the right thing for my marriage.”
The Road to Redemption
Through it all, Adams has emerged stronger and more self-aware. Sobriety didn’t just save his career—it transformed his life. Today, he’s a devoted father, a loving husband, and a creative force in Hollywood, exploring new projects and opportunities.
His story isn’t just about fame or success—it’s about the hard work of rebuilding, redefining, and rediscovering what truly matters. For fans of Suits, Patrick J. Adams will always be the brilliant Mike Ross. But for those who know the truth, he’s so much more than that.