Meghan Markle was already worth millions when she exited 'Suits'
Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, has been the center of attention ever since she tied the knot with Prince Harry. After the engagement announcement in 2017, the American actress announced that she would no longer be in showbiz and was saying goodbye to her role as Rachel Zane in the USA network's law drama 'Suits'.
She's now all about tiaras, diamonds and tennis matches but, if you ever thought that Markle was only rich now, let us clear that up for you — the actress was worth millions even before she got hitched with Harry. According to recent reports, Markle was worth a staggering £5 million when she was starring in the show.
Meghan Markle starred in about 100 episodes of 'Suits' spanning over seven seasons. The TV actress reportedly earned around £37,000 per episode, putting her annual 'Suits' salary at around £333,000 when you include her brand endorsements.
In an interview with BBC, she said, "I just see it as a change… It's a new chapter, right? And also keep in mind I've been working on my show for seven years. So we were very, very fortunate to be able to have that sort of longevity on a series, and for me once we hit the 100 episode marker I thought, you know what, I have – I have ticked this box and I feel really proud of the work I have done there and now it's time to, as you said work – work as a team with – with you."
"I think what's been really exciting as we talk about the transition of this out of my career, but into the role, is that, as you said, the causes that have been very important to me I can focus even more energy on, because very early out of the gate I think you realise once you have access or a voice that people are going to listen to, with that comes a lot of responsibility which I take seriously," she said.
The show's eighth season, which premiered last month, surely seems to miss her. The show ratings are at an all-time low — with an average of 1.2 million viewers per episode through three episodes in its eighth season. The show was already heading towards a downward ride even before Markle had left the show during which time the show's fifth season averaged a mere 2 million viewers per episode, and the number further declined to 1.59 million in season 6. It got worse in Season 7 when the ratings fell down to 1.3 million around the time when Markle was leaving the show.
However, Markle isn't the only star to have left the show. Patrick J Adams who had played the lead role of Mike Ross had exited the show earlier this season after the onscreen couple moved to Seattle following their marriage.