Why did Toni leave 'Girlfriends'? Read why she and Joan stopped being friends

Girlfriends is a popular 2000s sitcom which is currently experiencing a popular revival, thanks to Netflix. The show had a successful run for eight seasons and was aired on UPN and CW before it was abruptly cancelled. The fairly conventional sitcom Girlfriends is based on the life of four African American women who live in Los Angeles.

Fans get to follow these lead characters as they juggle their career, aspirations, love life and friendship all at the same time. The show is heavily based on Sex and the City, which is another popular sitcom based on the life of four White American women living in New York.

Fans of the show were bummed when one of the lead actors on the show, Toni played by Jill Marie Jones left the show abruptly in 2006. Find out, “Why did Toni leave Girlfriends?”

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Why did Toni leave 'Girlfriends'?

Fans began suspecting the reason behind actor Jill Marie Jones sudden departure from the show in 2006. But Jill who plays Toni Childs in Girlfriends revealed in an old interview with Essence Magazine that she had left the show because she wanted to do movies. The now 45-year-old had stated that her contract was up after the sixth season and she did not renew it. 

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The actor further stated that people who were speculating and spreading rumours had forgotten that just like a network renews the show for a new season, the actors get a choice too. The actors can choose whether they wish to renew their contract or not. Many fans at the time were reportedly speculating that Jill’s departure from the show had something to do with money.

In her interview, Jill cleared that air by stating that her departure from the show had nothing to do with money or finances. The actor further stated that she had never made any decision based on money in her life. She confessed that working on Girlfriends for six years felt enough to her and she wanted to take more risks with her career.

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Why did Toni and Joan stop being friends on 'Girlfriends'?

Joan Clayton on Girlfriends who is originally from Fresno, California had met Toni when they were children. Joan met Lynn in college while Maya was her assistant at the law firm. Joan always had problems when it came to relationships. She had even given up her law career to pursue her dreams. 

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Over the course of the show’s six seasons which featured both Joan and Toni fans saw that the two clashed several times. Many clashes had resulted in ending their friendship but the childhood friends found their way back to each other and reconciled their friendship. However, there were some major incidents that put the two at odds with each other.

One of them was when Joan unintentionally revealed the secret about Toni's affair to Greg. Joan also goes through a huge phase of jealousy when Toni gets married to Todd. However, their friendship officially comes to an end when Joan fails to appear for Toni's custody hearing at the season 6 finale.