‘Scandal’ Bids Farewell To Series Regular; Departing Co-Star & Creator Shonda Rhimes React
SPOILER ALERT: The story includes a detail about tonight’s episode of ABC’s Scandal.
Tonight’s “Trojan Horse” marked the final episode of Scandal‘s Portia De Rossi, whose character Elizabeth North was brutally murdered in the ongoing fight for power in Washington. Introduced in Season 4 of the soapy ABC drama, the brash and resourceful Republican operative Liz North was an instant standout, with De Rossi joining the cast as a regular at the beginning of Season 5. But she had been rarely seen lately as her character had not been involved in the current storylines of Season 6, before reappearing in tonight’s eventful episode, which also revealed the new U.S. President and brought back the Olivia-Fitz romance.
“I am incredibly grateful for my time here at Scandal!,” De Rossi said in a statement. “I will miss playing Elizabeth North but I’ve made the decision to focus on a business opportunity. Shonda, Betsy and the cast have been incredibly supportive of my decision. I will always love my Scandal family. I’ll be watching!”
Scandal creator/executive producer Shonda Rhimes, who executive produces alongside Betsy Beers, bid a fond farewell to the popular character and to De Rossi.
“I have been a fan of Portia’s for years and it was an honor to have her join our Scandal family,” she said in a statement. “Portia infused Liz North with a smart powerful vulnerable soul while also making the humor sing — and that brought all of us in the writers room a lot of joy. If I could keep her forever, I would — but kidnapping is illegal. Besides, I am incredibly impressed with the vision she has for her creative future. I wish her all the best.”
While Scandal has had a sizable body count over the years, more recently President-elect Vargas, Huck’s duplicitous girlfriend Meg and bystander Jennifer Flowers, the main cast of the show has stayed intact. Guillermo Diaz’s Huck came this close to death a couple of episodes ago but pulled through.
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