STAR season 2 episode 17: Who left the show?

Is Benjamin Bratt leaving STAR prior to the season 2 finale? Based on what happened in the episode, that seems to be the case.

Over the course of the episode tonight, Bratt’s character of Jahil found himself killed in a drive-by shooting, and given how many near-death experiences this character has had over time, it’s actually rather shocking that he made it this far.

In the end, though, it was actually Bratt’s own decision to depart the show rather than something that was forced on him. In speaking on this matter more to TVLine tonight, he did his best to explain why exactly this came out:

I think the timing is right. The show has evolved [and] the primary focus [is now] on the lives of the girls and their music and their personal challenges. Jahil was involved in that evolution in Season 1 in a more heavily focused way. Season 2 has certainly demonstrated that he’s less vitally important to that evolution. I think it was just a natural [progression] for him to fade into the background. Another reason was deeply personal. I’m the father of two children, one of whom [has] special needs. I was commuting every weekend [from Star‘s Atlanta set] to my home [in New England], and it was a grind. The schedule we were on with Stardidn’t allow me to succeed in focusing on… being a father and a husband. And as a professional actor, my focus was [also] a little dissipated. I was on an airplane sometimes four times a week.

Ultimately, this seems like the right move for all parties involved — the girl group can move on to the next phase of their lives while Bratt can have a little more time with his own. Based on everything he’s saying here, this feels like an almost-impossible commitment to take on every single week. Ultimately, we do hope to have a chance to see another great gig for Bratt in the future.

Related – Preview what’s coming next in the finale

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