Why Did Jackson Leave The Rookie?

After playing Jackson West on the ABC procedural drama The Rookie, Titus Makin Jr. gained notoriety. Though he gained popularity with viewers, the actor ultimately decided to leave the show in 2021, and his character was killed off at the beginning of season 4.

In the weeks before the Season 4 premiere, as The Rookie promotional materials began to circulate, viewers realized that something was seriously amiss. Officer Jackson West (Titus Makin Jr.) had mysteriously vanished without a reason. However, why did Titus Makin Jr. initially decide to leave The Rookie? Keep reading for all the details.

Why Did Jackson West Leave The Rookie?

The real reason Makin Jr. left The Rookie is not known. Jackson, aka Makin, never posted anything about it on social media or gave interviews. Titus Makin Jr. was a founding member of the cast of The Rookie and played Jackson in the show’s first season.

His training officer, Gela LoLopez, was promoted to detective in Season 3, so a new TO named Doug Stanton was given to him. Jackson’s life was miserable for the last month of his rookie training, unfortunately, because Stanton was openly racist.

Also Read | Is Mark Harmon coming back to NCIS?

Therefore, Jackson worked to have Stanton fired in collaboration with Sargent Grey. Although he had to beat Jackson up for it to happen, he was successful, and Stanton’s true colors emerged. Fans were upset when Jackson was killed off because his commitment to social justice was a crucial component of the show.

Jackson Strange’s death:

Jackson’s demise on The Rookie had a very clear and straightforward cause. According to Hawley, Jackson’s death was not the result of his or any writer’s decision.

“What I can say is that Titus [Makin Jr.] was not coming back to the show, so we needed to do the best that we could to honor the character who has been so fundamentally a part of the show,” he said. Since Makin Jr. did not want to come back, he had to be somehow written off. 

Hawley Statement

Jackson’s Death on The Rookie: A Strange Death

It was also strange how Jackson was put to death. At Lopez and Wesley’s wedding, the Season 3 finale’s concluding scenes took place. La Fiera laid a trap there, and the bride-to-be was taken prisoner.

Even though the audience was aware of this, Season 4’s premiere revealed that Jackson was also abducted by La Fiera’s thugs. Following Jackson’s shooting in the back and shoving into a trunk, Lopez was taken, according to security footage later discovered by the LAPD.

The writers had to kill Jackson: 

The decision was forced, which is why the entire situation felt strange and forced. Hawley said of how Jackson was killed, “It is heartbreaking, but I did not have a choice. Because of how the finale was written and the fact that Makin Jr. was not coming back, Jackson was necessary to complete the story.

In other words, it would have been preferable for him to leave the LAPD unharmed, but since Makin Jr. left in the middle of a story arc, he was unable to simply vanish. The writers had a challenging task to complete in the end.

Jackson had to be killed for The Rookie to be able to do it, so they had to use a stand-in and only shoot from the back. Because of this, Makin Jr.’s departure seemed more unexpected and strange than the relationship between John Nolan and Lucy Chen.

For more tea on the latest celebrity development and gossip on your favorite reality shows, keep checking our socials. Don’t miss our Twitter Feed and Instagram Stories for the fastest updates. Have a nice tea!

Jackson on The Rookie – FAQs