Why did the showrunners kill off Carter, the Taraji P. Henson Person of Interest character, in season 3? Carter, a main character since season 1, played an integral role in the first three seasons of the series, which focused on the efforts of Reese (Jim Caviezel) and Finch (Michael Emerson) to save people who were in danger. This mission relied on Finch's mysterious "machine," which provided them with "numbers" that told them who they had to investigate. Early in Person of Interest season 1, their vigilante activities attracted the attention of the NYPD.

This brought Detective Joss Carter to Person of Interest, a person determined to catch and arrest Reese, the person she called "the man in the suit." After meeting Reese and developing a better understanding of what they did, she became a reluctant ally to them. Carter's position at the NYPD provided them with valuable information and connections that they were able to use to save people. As time went on, Carter evolved into a trusted friend to both Reese and Finch and someone who they considered to be a member of the team. The character became a fan favorite. However, Carter died and Taraji P. Henson left Person of Interest after three seasons.

How Detective Carter Was Killed Off

Carter Was Murdered By Simmons

In Person of Interest season 3, episode 9, "The Crossing," Carter's time on the show came to an abrupt end. The team was dealing with an organization of police officers called HR when they were ambushed by the corrupt cop and recurring antagonist Simmons (Robert John Burke), who shot them both.

Simmons escaped and Reese survived, but Carter died from her wounds. Finch watched in horror as Reese cried over her body. This was the end for the Taraji P. Henson Person of Interest role, but Henson reprised her role for one episode in season 4 as a hallucination.

Henson Was Unhappy With The Show When She Left

The Carter Actress Wanted To Move On From Person Of Interest

Years after her exit, the actor revealed the reason why Taraji P. Henson's time on the series had to end while Person of Interest continued through season 5. The pay wasn't the issue; it was more of a problem that she had with the show itself. Henson claimed she was "not happy creatively" and "miserable," so she spoke to the producer, who understood her situation [via Variety].

"I don’t think I’m there in my career yet, where I ride out a show until the wheels fall off. I’m still getting calls by big-time movie directors and I still have a lot of movies I want to do. So that was always the plan."

Though Henson doesn't directly mention Person of Interest when discussing a TV series she left, it's clear this was the series that she was referring to because she mentioned doing a play in Pasadena after leaving the show, and that's precisely what Henson did after her exit from Person of Interest.

How Carter's Death Impacted The Show

The Loss Of The Character Became A Pivotal Narrative Moment

Taraji P. Henson's decision to leave Person of Interest dramatically affected both the show and its characters, particularly Reese. After all, the friendship between Reese and Carter had become the show's second most important relationship, behind Reese and Finch.

What Reese and Carter shared on Person of Interest was an incredibly deep mutual respect that had grown over the course of the series, and culminated in an unscripted kiss that took place in their final episode. Carter's death carried a huge emotional weight for all the characters involved, as several of them cared for her.

It set the stage for the rest of the season, and for Root (Amy Acker) to be utilized as an ally since Reese was off to get revenge for Carter. Reese and Finch began reevaluating their devotion to the mission and their confidence in the machine's effectiveness at predicting deaths. Though this was a show that dealt regularly with murders and killings, this was the first time that one of their own was the victim, and Carter's death remains one of the most shocking moments ever to occur on Person of Interest.

What Taraji P Henson Has Done Since Person Of Interest

Playing Detective Carter on Person of Interest may have been an important role for Taraji P Henson's career, but leaving didn't put a pause on the actor's career. Like many cast of crime dramas who exit prior to the final season, Taraji P Henson quickly found that her time on Person of Interest had opened several doors.

Taraji P Henson has appeared in dozens of projects since leaving Person of Interest. Alongside being featured as a judge or contestant on numerous game and reality TV shows, she has made multiple one-off appearances in popular sitcoms like The Simpsons in 2017 and Abbott Elementary in 2023. She's also been a presence in several TV movies for popular franchises, such as 2021's Muppets Haunted Mansion and 2016's Ice Age: The Great Egg-Scapade.

However, these one-off appearances haven't been the bulk of Taraji P Henson's post-Person of Interest Career, as much as they show just how in-demand the former cast member has remained. Immediately after parting ways with playing Detective Carter, Henson became a main cast member on the hit Fox drama Empire. She leads the cast alongside Terrence Howard, and her time as Cookie on Empire is now the role most viewers know her for.

Empire concluded in 2020, but Cookie wasn't the last notable role in Taraji P Henson's career after leaving Person of Interest. In 2024, she was a main cast member for the miniseries Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist, which saw her share a cast list with Hollywood A-Listers like Kevin Hart, Don Cheadle, and Samuel L. Jackson. Being on-screen with such prominent names would be seen as a career leap for many other former crime show stars, but Taraji P Henson is also an established movie presence in her own right.

Since leaving Person of Interest, Taraji P Henson has been in several high-profile movies, including Hidden Figures in 2016, Ralph Breaks The Internet in 2018, Minions: The Rise Of Gru in 2022, and The Color Purple in 2023. All in all, the actors' assessment that her time as Detective Carter was stifling her career can be said to be accurate, since she moved on to much greater things after leaving Person of Interest.