When ‘Insecure’ returns for its third outing next month, fans will note the absence of a familiar face. For, it’s been confirmed that actor Jay Ellis is taking a break from Issa Rae‘s smash HBO dramedy.

Details below…

The news was confirmed by Rae and show-runner Prentice Penny during the third annual Insecure Fest in LA this weekend.

Rae explained:

“We want to stay as true to life as possible. They had a great conversation at the end of season two and it was just about like, hey, she’s moving on with Daniel [Y’Lan Noel], sometimes we have those conversations. You never see the exes again. And it’s okay! You gotta explore life without Lawrence.”

Penny added:

“At the end of the day, we’re always trying to tell stories that are true and authentic. We were in the writers room and we were initially talking about, Okay, well what is he doing?… Well, he’s not in her life right now. It was hard to make stories around that.

We just said, well, if he’s not around, he’s not around. Let’s just deal with the reality of what her life is now. Let’s be true to that, when you breakup and you have closure.” [Source]

Ellis, who first rose to prominence on ‘The Game,’ no doubt remains popular with viewers. So, it’ll be interesting to see if the door is left open. And we imagine it may. After all, while life moves on – it can and often does circle back.

Season 3 of ‘Insecure’ premieres August 12th on HBO.

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