Damon Wayans Jr. to exit 'New Girl'

Damon Wayans Jr. will once again leave New Girl at the end of season 4, EW has confirmed.

Wayans, who plays original roommate Coach, initially starred in the pilot for the Fox comedy, but had to exit due to his commitment to Happy Endings. When his ABC comedy got axed, the actor returned to New Girl in season 3 as a special guest star before being upped to series regular in season 4. Wayans will still appear in the remainder of the season, according to TVLine.com, which first reported the news.

“I’m so grateful to have had the opportunity to come back to New Girl in season 3 to reprise the role of Coach,” Wayans said in a statement. “Working with this incredibly talented and funny cast and crew has been one of the best experiences of my career.”

Added New Girl executive producer Liz Meriwether: “We love Damon and are so lucky to have had him return for the past season-and-a-half. 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.” (She’s kidding… we think.)

New Girl airs Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET on Fox.