Honestly, if you were scrolling through Netflix back in 2013, you probably remember the collective gasp when Matt McGorry first appeared as Officer John Bennett. He was the "nice" one. Amidst the sea of corrupt, predatory, or just plain jaded guards at Litchfield, Bennett felt like a breath of fresh air. He had that boyish charm, a prosthetic leg that gave him a touch of vulnerability, and a romance with Dayanara "Daya" Diaz that felt like a Shakespearean tragedy set in a minimum-security facility.
But then Season 3 happened.
And just like that, the internet's favorite prison guard became its most hated ghoster. Even now, years after the show wrapped its seven-season run, the mention of Matt McGorry Orange Is the New Black still sparks heated debates in Reddit threads and Twitter archives. It wasn't just that he left; it was how he left. He didn't die in a dramatic prison riot or get transferred to another facility. He basically went out for cigarettes and never came back.
The Rise and Fall of John Bennett
In the beginning, the Daya and Bennett storyline was the emotional anchor for a lot of viewers. It was the "forbidden love" trope dialed up to eleven. You had a correctional officer and an inmate passing secret notes, stolen kisses in the tool shed, and eventually, a pregnancy that threatened to blow the whole lid off Litchfield.
Matt McGorry played the role with a specific kind of earnestness. He made you believe that Bennett genuinely loved Daya. He wasn't like "Pornstache" Mendez, who was objectively a monster. Bennett wanted to be the hero. He wanted to do the right thing.
The problem? Doing the right thing in a prison environment is basically impossible.
The relationship was never actually consensual. That’s a hard pill to swallow for fans who shipped them, but it’s the legal and ethical reality. As a guard, Bennett held all the power. McGorry himself has been very vocal about this in interviews later on, acknowledging that the "romanticized bubble" of their relationship needed to be popped. It was a power imbalance dressed up as a fairy tale.
That Infamous Season 3 Exit
The breaking point came in the episode "Bed Bugs and Beyond." Bennett visits Daya’s family—specifically Cesar, her mother’s terrifyingly volatile boyfriend.
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He sees the world his child is going to be born into. He sees Cesar pull a gun on a kid just to make him eat some fries. It’s a moment of pure, unadulterated reality hitting a guy who, until then, had been living in a fantasy world of "we’ll make it work."
Bennett panics.
He drives away, stops by the side of the road, looks at the crib Cesar gave him, and just... leaves. He leaves the crib. He leaves the job. He leaves the girl. He leaves the baby. It was a cowardly move that felt incredibly "human" in the worst way possible.
Why Matt McGorry Really Left the Show
While fans were screaming at their screens, the real-world reason for the exit was much more practical. Matt McGorry had landed a series regular role on another massive hit: ABC’s How to Get Away with Murder.
He went from being a recurring character in an ensemble cast to playing Asher Millstone, a lead role in a Shonda Rhimes production. In the world of acting, you don't turn that down. Network TV money and stability usually beat out a recurring gig on a streaming show, especially back in the early days of Netflix's original content.
There’s also the factor of pay. In recent years, several OITNB cast members have come forward about how little they were actually paid despite the show being a global phenomenon. McGorry himself mentioned on social media that he kept his day job for a significant portion of his time on the show because it actually paid better than the "mega-hit" he was starring in.
- Career Move: How to Get Away with Murder offered a regular paycheck and higher visibility.
- Narrative Choice: The writers felt Bennett’s abandonment was more realistic than a "happily ever after."
- Scheduling: Filming two major shows in different cities is a logistical nightmare.
The Aftermath: Did Bennett Ever Come Back?
Short answer: No.
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Longer answer: His ghost haunted Daya’s entire character arc. After Bennett disappeared, Daya’s life spiraled. She went from being the hopeful, artistic girl to a hardened, drug-addicted "top dog" who eventually committed a crime that ensured she’d never leave prison.
Fans kept waiting for a cameo. Every time a new season dropped, people searched for "Matt McGorry Orange Is the New Black return." We wanted closure. We wanted him to show up at the prison gates with the kid, or at least send a letter.
But the showrunners, led by Jenji Kohan, chose a different path. They chose the path of "ghosting." In real life, people often don't get closure. Sometimes people just disappear when things get too hard. By never bringing Bennett back, the show highlighted the brutal reality of the system: the guards can walk away, but the inmates are stuck with the consequences.
The "Pornstache" Irony
One of the weirdest twists in the whole Matt McGorry Orange Is the New Black saga is how it made us feel about George "Pornstache" Mendez.
Pornstache was a villain. He was a predator. But, in a bizarre twist of fate, he was the one who actually wanted to step up. When he thought the baby was his, he was ready to be a father. He was genuinely (if creepily) devoted.
Seeing the "good guy" (Bennett) run away while the "bad guy" (Mendez) was willing to take responsibility was a stroke of genius by the writers. It flipped the script on who we should be rooting for and showed that "goodness" is often just a lack of pressure. When the pressure got too high, Bennett folded.
Life After Litchfield for Matt McGorry
Since hanging up the uniform, Matt McGorry has become known for more than just his acting. He’s transitioned into a massive advocate for social justice, feminism, and prison abolition.
It’s actually quite poetic. The guy who played a guard in a broken system now spends a huge portion of his time calling out the flaws in that very system. He uses his platform to talk about things like:
- Body Positivity: Sharing his own journey from competitive bodybuilding to a more radical acceptance of his body.
- Feminism: Actively educating men on how to be better allies.
- Systemic Racism: Participating in protests and using his social media to amplify marginalized voices.
He’s not just "that guy from the prison show" anymore. He’s an activist who happens to act. If you follow him on Instagram, you’re more likely to see a post about grassroots organizing than a red-carpet selfie.
What We Can Learn from the Bennett Debacle
Looking back at the Matt McGorry Orange Is the New Black era, it's clear the character of John Bennett served a specific purpose. He was there to deconstruct the "hero" archetype.
We want to believe that love conquers all, especially in a gritty setting like a women's prison. But the reality is that the system is designed to crush those connections. Bennett wasn't a "bad" man in the traditional sense; he was a weak man in a situation that required extraordinary strength.
Actionable Takeaways for Fans and Creators
If you're a writer or a fan of character-driven drama, there are a few things to take away from why this specific role stuck with us so long:
- Subvert Expectations: Don't give the audience the easy out. The "ghosting" ending was far more impactful than a traditional exit because it left a wound that never healed.
- Context Matters: A "nice" person in a toxic system is still part of that system. You can't separate Bennett’s kindness from his role as an oppressor.
- Real-World Parallels: The best TV characters reflect our own fears. Bennett represents the fear of being "found out" as a coward when things get real.
If you’re looking to revisit the series, pay close attention to the Season 1 flashback episodes for Bennett. You’ll see the seeds of his cowardice planted way back then—specifically during his time in the military. It wasn't a sudden change in character; the cracks were always there. We just chose not to see them because he had a cute smile.
Ultimately, John Bennett remains one of the most complex "villains" of the show precisely because he didn't think he was one. And that's exactly why we're still talking about him over a decade later.
For those looking to dive deeper into the themes of the show, check out the original memoir by Piper Kerman or explore the work McGorry is doing now with organizations like Color of Change. Understanding the real-world implications of the prison-industrial complex makes the fictional drama of Litchfield feel even more weightier.