Why Outer Banks' JJ was killed off and Rudy Pankow's exit explained after feud rumours

Guys, it’s officially the end of an era - Outer Banks' fifth and final season has dropped.

Starring Madelyn Cline, Madison Bailey, Chase Stokes, Rudy Pankow and Jonathan Daviss, the Netflix show became an instant fan favourite when it debuted in April 2020.

The TV show follows the chaotic lives of a group of teenagers in the Outer Banks of North Carolina, as they discover dark secrets and embark on wild adventures while they search for lost treasure.

However, there’s one key cast member who’s missing from season five’s epic conclusion after a dramatic death at the end of season four.

Heartbroken fans had to say goodbye to JJ (Rudy Pankow) in October 2024 when he was fatally stabbed by his own father, Chandler Groff (J. Anthony Crane).

The character’s departure was followed by widespread fan rumours of a fallout between the cast, with particular rift whispers surrounding Rudy and his on-screen love interest, Madison, who plays Kiara.

Outer Banks has finally come to an end (Kevin Mazur/2021 MTV Movie and TV Awards)

Some fans believe this rumoured feud is the reason for JJ’s exit; however, the creators of the show have since squashed this by confirming that it was always the plan for his character to meet a tragic fate.

Why was JJ killed off in Outer Banks season four?

Showrunner Josh Pate told Tudum in November 2024: “We’re planning a story of redemption, and a season that embodies the friendship that JJ had come to represent.

“JJ’s death was a hard but necessary piece of the architecture for the story, and we plan on honouring that as much as we can because we love the character as much as the fans do.”

He also told Teen Vogue that the character’s death was important as it would serve as the ‘main spine’ of the final season, as it’s ‘going to change’ the rest of the group.

But it came after some drama, including the excessive internet ‘shipping’ of Rudy and Madison’s characters, which bizarrely morphed into shipping the actual stars, who were both in relationships.

Fans noticed that the awkward situation seemed to prompt the stars to distance themselves from each other and cruelly blamed it on their partners.

After the internet started brutally taking aim at Rudy’s girlfriend Elaine Siemek, he was forced to take to social media to defend her.

In August 2021, he penned in an Instagram post: “Unfortunately I’m here to call out the disrespect and harassment someone who I love dearly is getting on a daily basis.

“Not only is she not what she is being accused of being, she is the complete opposite and actively is so. Accusing someone you don’t know of being abusive and manipulative is not ok, especially when you don’t know the relationship personally.”

Madison also directly addressed the situation during an Instagram Live, where, as per Life&Style Mag, she said: “I’m seeing all these posts about Mariah [her partner] not liking Rudy, which, I mean, that’s not true. That’s just not true.

The new series dropped on Thursday 20 August (Netflix)

“She likes both of them.”

Betches also reports that a dramatic cast dinner in 2023 allegedly resulted in a lot of people unfollowing each other, and fans even came up with a wild theory that the duo would no longer film romantic scenes together and had to get stunt doubles.

None of this is confirmed, of course, and to be honest, which popular TV show hasn’t suffered cast feud rumours?

Either way, the gossip mill will be disappointed to hear that JJ’s death was always in the plan.

Tyla has contacted representatives of Madison Bailey and Rudy Pankow for comment.