The actor who plays Coach on the Zooey Deschanel-starring series confirms he will not reprise his role in the next fifth season.
- Feb 6, 2015
AceShowbiz - Damon Wayans Jr. is leaving "New Girl". The actor who plays Coach, the gruff roommate of Schmidt and Nick, won't return to the show after the end of the current fourth season. Before his departure, he will appear in every remaining episode this season.
'I'm so grateful to have had the opportunity to come back to New Girl in Season 3 to reprise the role of Coach," the actor announces his exit in a statement to TVLine. "Working with this incredibly talented and funny cast and crew has been one of the best experiences of my career."
"We love Damon and are so lucky to have had him return for the past season-and-a-half," executive producer Liz Meriwether chimes in. "We are working on crafting an exit for him that will leave the door open for many more returns, especially since Coach is our resolution to the upcoming 'Who's Jess' Baby Daddy?' storyline."
Damon Wayan Jr. first appeared on "New Girl" in the pilot but could not continue on the show when his other sitcom "Happy Endings" scored an unlikely renewal from ABC. When the latter show was canceled, he booked a trip back to the FOX series to reprise his role as Coach. It's unclear if his latest departure is also caused by commitment to another project.
