Toni left the show after a falling out with Joan and a custody battle for her daughter.
Toni Childs, portrayed by Jill Marie Jones, was one of the main characters on the popular American sitcom “Girlfriends,” which aired from 2000 to 2008. In the series, Toni’s departure occurs at the end of the sixth season. The character’s exit from the show was due to a combination of personal and professional reasons within the storyline.
Toni’s relationship with her best friend Joan Clayton, played by Tracee Ellis Ross, becomes strained over the course of the series. The tension between them reaches a peak when Toni decides to move forward with a custody lawsuit against her then-husband Todd Garrett over their daughter, Morgan. The lawsuit and the stress it causes further exacerbate the issues between Toni and Joan, leading to a fallout between the two.
Behind the scenes, Jill Marie Jones decided not to renew her contract after the sixth season, which led to her character being written out of the show. The writers chose to have Toni move away to New York to start a new life, which allowed for her character to have a conclusive departure while leaving the door open for a potential return, which ultimately did not happen within the show’s original run.
Toni’s absence was felt in the subsequent seasons, as she had been a central part of the friend group that the show revolved around. Her departure shifted the dynamic of the series, with the remaining characters adjusting to life without her presence. Despite her exit, Toni Childs remains a beloved character among fans of “Girlfriends,” and her storyline is often cited as one of the most impactful in the series.