What Happened to JJ on ‘All American’? His Storyline "Organically Wrapped" in Season 5
"I began to feel very unwelcome there and it was really taking a toll on my mental health," the actor said of his exit.
Published July 24 2024, 2:00 a.m. ET
When Season 6 of All American returned in April of 2024, a notable face was missing: Hunter Clowdus. The actor has been an original character since the first season of the CW series. The 32-year-old played football player JJ Parker.
The sports drama is based on the true story of Spencer Paysinger, a former NFL player who is now a producer on the show.
Was Hunter cut from the show? Here’s what happened to JJ Parker on All American.
What happened to JJ Parker on 'All American'?
Season 5 was a rough one for JJ. Throughout the season, the football player has several ups and downs. It all starts when he joins a fraternity, which historically has a heavy culture around drinking. JJ ends up partying a lot and begins suffering from drinking issues.
As a result, his mental health also suffers and he begins to isolate himself from his friends. This all happens during the fallout of Coach Baker’s untimely death.
Things begin to improve for the character when his friends stage an intervention for his substance abuse and he moves back into the group’s beach house to prioritize his mental health. All seems to be well with his friends again by the end of the season, so why is his character not returning?
Hunter claimed that JJ Parker's exit wasn't his decision.
TVLine revealed in March that JJ would not be returning to the series. One of the TV show’s reps told the publication that JJ’s story line “organically wrapped” in Season 5.
Fans had already speculated that his character’s chapter was coming to a close after Hunter unfollowed some castmates on social media. This included the official All American account. He also alluded to some drama with the cast and producers.
On an Instagram post, a fan commented, “I just wanna know was the cast treating u different or was it like the producers and things.”
Hunter replied, “Respectfully I don’t want to air out details at the moment but just know I’m feeling myself again and although I hate the exit for the fans, I’m feeling great feeling wanted and loved again by those around me.”
Hunter also shared that leaving the show wasn’t his choice. When asked by a fan why he left the show, Hunter wrote, “I didn’t want to. I wanted to give the fans and that character proper closure,” the actor replied. “That said, I began to feel very unwelcome there and it was really taking a toll on my mental health.”
He claimed that the show decided to put the kibosh on the character he played for five seasons. “I still wanted to come back for the fans but at the end of the day it was their decision to not continue JJ’s character.”
Hunter isn’t the only actor to exit the show. In June, it was revealed that Daniel Ezra, who played the role of Spencer Paysinger, would not be returning as a series regular in Season 7.
