All American went all in on a total stunner last night.
The long-running CW drama killed off a main character.
Taye Diggs — who had portrayed Billy Baker on All American since its premiere back in 2018 — was written off the show in an unexpected turn of events involving a fatal bus crash.
What promoted such a development?!?
A request from Diggs himself, as it turns out.
“It has been an honor to work with Taye over these last five seasons and to watch him bring such incredible life to the role of Billy Baker,” Executive Producer Nkechi Okoro Carroll said in a statement after the Season 5 installment aired.
“It has truly been a gift for me and my fellow writers to write a character that was equally flawed and heroic.”
Executive Producer Nkechi Okoro Carroll released a statement to ET on Monday, addressing Diggs’ departure from the show after five years.
He added:
“Billy was all of us and what a joy it was to watch this character grow as he raised 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.”
Carrol did also say, in interesting fashion, that viewers probably “haven’t seen the last of Billy Baker.”
During the emotional hour, Billy and the South Crenshaw football players took part in a combine that gave the kids a chance to show off their skills for college coaches.
On the way home from the event, the bus carrying Billy, Asher, Jabari and the other Crenshaw players blew a tire, causing an accident that left the bus teetering dangerously on the edge of a cliff.
Shortly afterward, the episode wrapped up with Billy’s family learning of his death.
Diggs told TV Line on Monday night that he’s “one hundred” percent open to returning via flashback, making it clear there are no hard feelings of any kind on either side.
“I was having a great time,” Diggs also told TV Line of how this call came about.
“It was just a feeling that I got [that I was ready to leave], and I just honored that feeling. It was maybe mid-fourth season.
“I don’t even remember, to be honest, because the showrunner and myself are close. We’d been keeping in contact, so she had known, and we’d been talking.
“And we decided how to go about it, and storylines and whatnot, so it was all above board, and everyone was in the know.”
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