Is Ethan Hutchison Leaving 'Queen Sugar' After Five Years of Acting on the Hit Drama?

At the tender age of 3 years old, Queen Sugar star Ethan Hutchison told his parents he was born to be an actor, and that’s exactly what he set out to be. At an early age, the now 10-year-old showed a true gift for the performing arts and booked his first audition, landing a recurring role in the Hulu original television series The Path as Jake Gaines when he was only 4.

His second audition led him to be a series regular as Blue Bordelon on OWN’s original television series Queen Sugar at 5 years old. For his portrayal of Blue on Queen Sugar, Ethan has won the Young Artist Awards and Young Entertainer Award for Best Leading Young Actor. He's also earned a nomination for the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Performance by a Youth.  

The show itself has received a nomination for a People’s Choice Award for Favorite Cable TV Drama, and the series won an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Drama Series. In the last few episodes, it seems that one character may be exiting the show, and fans have been wondering if Ethan’s character, Blue, could be leaving St. Jo. 

For some time now, Ralph Angel (Kofi Siriboe) has been feeling like Blue won't be able to live up to his potential if he stays in St. Jo. They both know that their child is exceptional and dreams of being an astronaut, and they want better for him. Ralph Angel notices that Blue has become ready to settle into the life that his dad and grandpa did, and he doesn't want that for Blue.

He wants him to be better than him and his father and does not want him to end up being a manager of a local supermarket or a farmer. In Episode 9 of the newest season, Darla (Bianca Lawson) and Ralph Angel are thinking about sending Blue to a school in Washington D.C., and after presenting him with the option of being able to bring all of his dreams to a reality, they all agree that Blue will head to D.C. and come home on weekends and holidays. 

So it appears that Blue won't be a regular series cast member of Queen Sugar anymore. The young actor took to Twitter ahead of the Season 5 finale and tweeted, "Playing Blue over these past five years has been an amazing experience! Thank you, [Ava DuVernay] [Oprah Winfrey] & everyone at [Queen Sugar], for this incredible opportunity. #QueenSugar #BlueIsTheGlue. Wow, this sounds like a goodbye tweet. Is he leaving Queen Sugar for good?! 

Wow, this sounds like a goodbye tweet. Is he leaving Queen Sugar for good?!  

Fans sure hope not and also took to Twitter. One fan tweeted, "OK Blue can go to this new school in D.C., but we need [Ethan Hutchinson] to still appear on the show every week! #QueenSugar." 

Since Season 5 of Queen Sugar is coming to an end, fans will have to wait for Season 6 to see if and when Blue will appear on the series.

The Season 5 finale of Queen Sugar airs April 20 at 8 p.m. EST on OWN.