Why Did Coach Billy Baker Star Taye Diggs Leave All American?

All American spoilers teased an emotional storyline this season, still fans were rocked by the unexpected death of Taye Diggs‘ character Coach Billy Baker.

On the latest episode of The CW All-American Season 5, a fiery car accident took the life of the beloved character when he was heroically racing to save his students from the bus.  Of course, if you have watched All-American, then you know Coach Billy Baker, and putting his life on the line to save his team is nothing that came as a surprise considering his character.  Still, that didn’t make Taye Diggs’ exit any easier on fans.

Why Did Taye Diggs Leave All-American?

So, why did Taye Diggs leave All-American Season 5?  While rumors have been running rampant regarding Coach Baker’s death on the CW series and Diggs’ exit, the truth is there’s nothing scandalous to tell.  Diggs gave his notice, and even worked with showrunners to ensure the perfect exit for his popular character.

In a recent interview with TV Line, Diggs revealed that his exit was planned and he left the show on good terms.  Diggs went on to say, “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. It was maybe mid-fourth season. 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.”

Will Coach Baker Return To All-American?

What’s interesting about Coach Baker’s death on All American is they never actually showed him taking his last breath.  In fact the show opted to not show his death and then have characters reveal that he passed away in later scenes.  So, already there are rumors floating around that Taye’s exit may have been a hoax and the character could return in later episodes.

Are you sad to see Taye Diggs go?  Let us know in the comments below and keep checking Soap Opera Spy for more All American spoilers and TV news.

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