'Insecure' star Jay Ellis returns to the show as Lawrence, thanks to fans
Fans were up in arms after "Insecure" star and creator Issa Rae announced in July that actor Jay Ellis’ character, Lawrence, would not return for season three.
Apparently, Rae heard them. Lawrence made a surprise appearance at the end of the HBO series' Sunday night episode when he ran into Rae's character, Issa Dee, in a store.
Ellis, who appeared in the first two seasons of the hit show, told ABC News that fans went crazy when they first heard he was not returning.
"My phone completely blew up," Ellis told ABC Radio. "It was absolutely insane, and I just remember smiling and just being so happy that people were just resonating and connected to that character enough to care that much to want to see his story."
The 36-year old actor from Sumter, South Carolina, said fans let Rae know they needed Lawrence back on the show.
"There was a guy protesting at a screening that Issa did up in Harlem right before the show premiered," he said. "That’s real love."
After Sunday night’s surprise encounter, Ellis said viewers are excited to see what happens next for the former lovers.
"It was such an awkward moment," he said about the on-screen encounter. "It's gonna be a little bit weird for sure."
The former star of "The Game" said the mystery that is Lawrence and Issa's future will soon unfold.
"Going back to the end of season two, there was some closure, and so my hope is that they’ve both grown from that moment and maybe they’ll get to explore that and talk about it a little bit. But, if I told you then HBO would fire me," he said with a laugh.
"Insecure" airs Sunday night at 10:30 p.m. ET on HBO.
ABC News' Kenneth Simmons and Andrea Tuccillo contributed to this report
