Is Taye Diggs leaving All American? Is Billy Baker dead?

Close to the end of tonight’s All American episode, we had a pit in our stomach that Taye Diggs was going to be leaving the show. That pain accentuated with the bus crash, and then the voicemail message that Billy Baker left for Spencer.

Billy is dead — there is no walking that back. He died trying to help his team stay alive, which is exactly what would happen to a guy like this. He wouldn’t just up and leave the rest of the cast. In a new interview with TVLine, here is what Nkechi Okoro Carroll, All American showrunner, had to say about the decision to write out the character this way:

I was like, “Listen, there’s only one way Billy leaves the show.” He would never leave his kids. He would never leave his wife after fighting to get his family back together and go take a coaching gig in Florida. I was like, “Just so we’re all clear, when it is time for Billy to go, there’s only one way he goes.” And I think that part was a surprise to Taye. He was like, “Huh!” But I’d always had that vision in my head, and even though we hadn’t even started Season 5, I knew what it would be, and I knew where it would fall if we did it that season. So I pitched him a whole episode, almost act by act. And there was a moment of silence. I was like, “Oh my God, did I lose him? Did he drop the call? Is he cursing me out in his head?” [Laughs] And then I realized he was actually really emotional. He said, “I never, in a million years, imagined it would be that kind of heroic sendoff.” And I was like, “It’s Billy Baker. Of course it is!” This is a man who takes in other people’s kids as his own. There’s only one way for him to go.

Ultimately, we are glad that this exit (which was initially Diggs’ idea) was somewhat collaborative, and it allowed the team to come up with something that felt right. Most of the story around Billy’s death is going to continue moving into next week, as so many other characters will have a chance to mourn his loss, but also celebrate his life and what he meant to everyone.

Taye was invaluable to this show; it’s hard to even specify just how much he will be missed.

Related – Take a look at some other updates on All American right now, including the show coming back for season 6

What do you think about Taye Diggs leaving All American following the events of tonight’s huge episode?

Be sure to let us know in the comments! Once you do just that, come back for some other updates. (Photo: The CW.)

This article was written by Jessica BunBun.