Taye Diggs has left the All American Building.
The actor, who has starred on The CW as Billy Baker since it launched in late 2018, was shockingly removed from the series during the February 13 episode.
“It’s been an honor to work with Taye over the past five seasons and to see him bring such incredible life to the role of Billy Baker,” showrunner Nkechi Okoro Carroll said in a statement to . “It was truly a gift for me and my fellow writers to write a character who was flawed and heroic in equal measure. Billy was for all of us and what a joy to see this character grow while raising his kids and his football players as one big family. We wish Taye the very best in this next chapter of his life and he remains a beloved member of the All American Family, so that’s not the last thing you saw of Billy Baker.”
During the episode titled “Time,” Billy von Diggs accepts the job as head coach at the GAU, where he was supposed to reunite with Spencer (Daniel Ezra) and his son Jordan (Michael Evans Behling). After a college coach showcase, the bus transporting Billy, Asher (Cody Christian) and Jabari (Simeon Daise) and the team crashes after a tire blows out. After Billy and the team exit the vehicle, the trainer realizes that Jabari is missing and goes back to get him. While viewers are left wondering about Jabari’s fate, the episode’s final scene reveals that Billy does not survive. As for Spencer, he learns of Billy’s fate while listening to a voicemail left for him by his father figure and former coach after declining a call from him.
Diggs played a central role in the cast of All American throughout its five seasons. The series, one of The CW’s highest-rated shows, has already been renewed for its sixth season. The drama, from executive producer Greg Berlanti and Warner Bros. TV, was the first to be renewed under The CW’s new owner, Nexstar, as sources say the network likely will show fewer than a handful of US script originals, as planned by their new leadership, make the network profitable for the first time. Under previous owners CBS Studios and Warner Bros. TV — each still owning a 12.5 percent stake in the network — The CW was created to sell content worldwide and to streamers. However, with the launch of HBO Max and Paramount+, the network’s business model changed and both studios exited the network after it became more important to keep domestic and international streaming rights for CW fare in-house.
Diggs recently reprized his role in Peacock’s The Best Man: The Final Chapters and counts Broadway’s Rent and How Stella Got Her Groove Back to his long list of film, television and stage credits. He also recently hosted the Hulu dating competition series Back in the Groove.