The Vortex won’t have a full roster when All American kicks off season 6 , as Hunter Clowdus has exited the series.
Clowdus, 32, is one of the show’s original cast members, having portrayed outside linebacker turned quarterback JJ Parker since the 2018 pilot. A rep for the show told TV Line on Friday, March 29, that JJ’s story line “organically wrapped” at the end of season 5.
JJ faced several ups and downs during season 5, including developing a drinking issue after joining a fraternity. Although he distanced himself from his friends following Coach Baker’s (Taye Diggs) death, he’d moved back to the group’s beach house and was on good terms with his friends by the end of the season.
Off camera, however, there seemed to be issues between Clowdus and some of his All American costars after they wrapped season 5. Eagle eyed fans noticed in fall 2023 that Clowdus unfollowed a few of his castmates and the official All American account on social media.
When asked why he “left” the show in November 2023, Clowdus hinted that it wasn’t his choice.
“I didn’t want to. I wanted to give the fans and that character proper closure,” the actor replied to a fan via an Instagram comment at the time. “That said I began to feel very unwelcome there and it was really taking a toll on my mental health.”
Clowdus claimed, “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.”
In January, Clowdus revealed that he was eight months into a new journey of learning how to golf and traveling to pursue the sport.
“Your dream, your responsibility. Don’t let anything stop you,” Clowdus wrote via Instagram last month, sharing a video of his gym routine. “Don’t let the opinions of others discourage you from chasing your dreams. It’s your dream and your determination is what will make it a reality. Keep pushing and never give up on what you truly want in life.”
While Clowdus won’t be back for season 6 of All American, fans will finally get to see Spencer (Daniel Ezra) and Olivia (Samantha Logan) reconnect after spending season 5 apart.
“The season’s been really fun, because we’ve been wanting to see Spencer and Olivia together for a really long time. It seemed that there’s always something getting in the way,” Logan, 27, told reporters during The Television Critics Association in February via Deadline. “We’ll just see them this season coming together as new versions of themselves. There’s going to be some stuff in between, but I think ultimately we are going to see the relationship really transformed to something really beautiful.”
Us Weekly has reached out to The CW and Clowdus’ rep for comment.
Season 6 of All American premieres on The CW Monday, April 1, at 8 p.m. ET.
