The announcement that Daniel Ezra, the actor who brought Spencer James to life, is leaving the popular television series ‘All American’ stunned fans. The news has sparked a wave of speculation from the show’s audience. However, the actor’s reason for leaving the show is simple. Here’s what Daniel had to say about his All American exit, which comes on the heels of an eventful sixth season.
Daniel is leaving ‘All American,’ but not for good.
Daniel Ezra portrayed Spencer James since the All American’s debut in 2018. However, his character’s storyline has come to an end. On a June 20 episode of the series, Spencer was drafted to the NFL, marking the end of his collegiate career. According to Deadline, Daniel’s departure was a “creative decision” made jointly by the showrunner and the actor.
“After making the difficult decision to leave All American, my sole focus became completing the journey of the most life-affirming character I’ve ever played in the manner he deserves,” Daniel said in a statement. “Thanks to Nkechi and the writers, I got my wish. Season six is ‘Spencer’s goodbye.’ I’ll miss him. I’ll miss our cast and crew. I hope it’s been as fun to watch him as it has been to play him.”
Daniel is not completely stepping away from The CW drama series. The actor will make reoccurring appearances in future seasons of All American, and he will also be taking on roles behind-the-camera. The Hollywood Reporter states that the show has been renewed for an abbreviated seventh season, which will air in 2025.
Why did Taye Diggs leave ‘All American?’
In 2023, Taye Diggs left All American, leaving fans of the series stunned. Like Daniel Ezra, Taye was an integral part of the show, but he left to pursue other ventures. In an interview with TV Line, the actor explained that he simply got “a feeling” that he should step down from his role as Billy Barker.
“I was having a great time. It was just a feeling that I got [that I was ready to leave], and I just honored that feeling,” he said. Adding, “I don’t even remember, to be honest, because the showrunner [Carroll] 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.”
A year after his exit, Taye returned to the series – although his time on-screen was brief. During a season 6 episode of All American, Billy’s kids were given letters he wrote for them when they were young children. As Olivia and Spencer read the letters, Billy appeared, reading his own words out loud. And while Billy’s imaginative presence did not communicate with the cast, fans were undoubtedly elated to see Taye return to the series.
Main photo by Victoria Sirakova / Contributor | Getty Images
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