Summary

  • After playing Coach in the series pilot, Damon Wayans Jr. left New Girl due to a contract obligation to another sitcom, Happy Endings.
  • Damon Wayans Jr. returned to New Girl in Season 3 as a main character but left again during Season 4.
  • Coach's departure paved the way for the introduction of LaMorne Morris's Winston Bishop, who became a fan-favorite.

New Girl fans know the Fox comedy would have been nothing without the hit comedy's stellar lineup of characters. For its seven-season run, the sitcom spotlighted a rotating cast featuring stars like Megan Fox, Linda Cardellini, and Dermot Mulroney, among others. Yet the most beloved recurring actor was part of New Girl's original ensemble from its 2011 premiere.

Damon Wayans Jr. debuted in the pilot episode as Coach, a personal trainer and one of the three roommates Jess initially settled into the loft with after her breakup. However, by the second episode Wayans Jr. was gone, leaving fans to wonder what what happened to Coach in New Girl after Episode 1.

Updated by Jordan Iacobucci on December 17, 2023: While Jessica Day (Zooey Deschanel), Nick Miller (Jake Johnson), Schmidt (Max Greenfield), Winston Bishop (LaMorne Morris), and Cece Parekh (Hannah Simone) are known as the core cast of New Girl, fans will always have a special place in their hearts for Damon Wayans Jr.'s Coach, the lovable gym coach who makes sporadic appearances in the series. Originally intended to be one of the show's core characters, Coach never sticks around for too long throughout New Girl's seven-season run. What happens to Coach on New Girl and why didn't he stick around longer?

Where Did Coach Go On New Girl?

Coach (played by Damon Wayans Jr.) from New Girl sits in a bar and looks off into the distance
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Following the pilot episode of New Girl, Coach left the apartment to move in with his girlfriend Malia. In his place to help round out the cast was his cousin Winston (portrayed by Lamorne Morris), a basketball player coming home to the States after playing in Latvia. And while Coach was mentioned sparingly after his departure, Wayans Jr. eventually made his glorious comeback to New Girl two years later in the first episode of Season 3, titled “Coach.” However, he unexpectedly left the show again at the end of Season 4 when he moved to New York City with his new girlfriend May.

  • Coach makes his first appearance in New Girl's pilot episode
  • Damon Wayans Jr. ultimately appeared in 44 episodes of New Girl
  • Happy Endings ran for three seasons before its cancellation

Wayans Jr. initially left New Girl after filming the pilot because he was contractually obligated to star as Brad Williams on the ABC sitcom Happy Endings. He'd taken on Coach’s role because he thought Happy Endings was getting canceled. But the series received a renewal out of the blue for a sophomore season, which forced the actor to depart the Zooey Deschanel-led sitcom to fulfill his prior commitment. Wayans Jr. came back to New Girl for a season and a half after Happy Endings was canceled, but his second stint did not last long either.

Why Damon Wayans Jr. Left New Girl... Again

Coach from New Girl (played by Damon Wayans Jr.) smiles while stood in a door frame
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The second time around, though, the actor's departure was for a different reason. According to TV Line, Damon Wayans Jr. opted to exit New Girl instead of renewing his contract. Wayans Jr. explained, “I’m so grateful to have had the opportunity to come back to New Girl in Season 3 to reprise the role of Coach. Working with this incredibly talented and funny cast and crew has been one of the best experiences of my career.”

  • Coach rejoined the main cast of New Girl in the Season 3 episode "Coach"
  • Coach leaves New Girl once more in the Season 4 episode "Clean Break"
  • Coach still returned for several episodes of New Girl, making his final appearance in the Season 7 episode "Where the Road Goes"

As for why New Girl did not reshoot the pilot with someone else in the role of Coach, the reason was financial. To bring the rest of the cast back for reshoots would have been too costly for a brand-new sitcom. Fortunately for New Girl fans, the decision not to recast Coach left the door open for Damon Wayans Jr. to return as the arrogant yet awkward former athlete, and the show was all the better when he did come back in Season 3, even if he didn't stay that long.

Coach's Departure Gave New Girl One Of Its Best Characters

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While some fans may have been disappointed by Coach's premature exit from New Girl, his departure paved the way for the sitcom to introduce an iconic character in LaMorne Morris's Winston Bishop. Naturally, it took some time for Winston to settle in with the rest of the cast. Much to the writers' credit, New Girl didn't try to make Winston too much like Coach but instead tried to craft an entirely new character in his place. While this led to some growing pains as the writers tried to figure out who this new character would be, New Girl's later seasons made great use of Winston, who quickly became a fan-favorite character.

  • Winston Bishop makes his first appearance in New Girl's second episode, "Kryptonite"
  • LaMorne Morris ultimately appeared in 145 episodes of New Girl, spanning seven seasons
  • Winston Bishop's key storylines include a romance with Aly Nelson, attempting to become a police officer, and stealing his pet cat, Ferguson.

It wasn't long before Winston settled in with the rest of the group. His long history with Nick helped connect him to the cast at first, but he gradually began to develop compelling relationships with the rest of the group as well. His bond with Jess quickly became like that of a sibling, whereas he and Cece grew to be fast friends. Moreover, his amicable rivalry with Schmidt proved to be utterly delightful. By the time the series came to an end, Winston had clearly proven himself to be one of the best friends of the sitcom's entire group.

While Coach could have been an intriguing character on his own, his return in later seasons still proved to pale in comparison to the laughs and joy that Winston brought to the table on a regular basis. It may have been nice to have Coach stick around for several more seasons, but it is hard to imagine that any of his storylines or running gags could top any of Winston's. From his "Prank Sinatra" persona to his too-close-for-comfort relationship with his cat Ferguson, there is no denying that Winston Bishop is one of the greatest sitcom characters of all time. Yet he may have never existed if not for Damon Wayans Jr.'s early exit from New Girl after its pilot episode.

All seven seasons of New Girl are available to stream on Hulu and Peacock.

Zooey Deschanel, Max Greenfield, Hannah Simone, Lamorne Morris, and Jake Johnson in New Girl (2011)
New Girl
TV-14
Comedy
Romance

After a bad break-up, Jess, an offbeat young woman, moves into an apartment loft with three single men. Although they find her behavior very unusual, the men support her - most of the time.

Release Date
September 20, 2011
Creator
Elizabeth Meriwether
Cast
Zooey Deschanel , Max Greenfield , Hannah Simone , Lamorne Morris , Jake Johnson
Seasons
7
Production Company
Elizabeth Meriwether Pictures, American Nitwits, Chernin Entertainment
Number of Episodes
146