Since filming began for the third season of the HBO series Insecure, there has been speculation that Jay Ellis’ character may not be returning. During the Insecure Fest in LA over the weekend, Issa Rae confirmed that the new season would “explore life without Lawrence,” according to Vulture.

In the final episode of Season Two, Issa and Lawrence have an intimate moment of closure at their former shared apartment in Inglewood. In the recent weeks, Ellis’ character has been missing from trailers and promotion for the show, which has caused some fans to protest the coming season.

Regarding the fan reactions, Rae told the publication, “I don’t care!” She explained why as the creator of the show it was important to leave him out of the story this go around. “We want to stay as true to life as possible. They had a great conversation at the end of season two and it was just about like, hey, she’s moving on . . . sometimes we have those conversations. You never see the exes again. And it’s okay!”

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Prentice Penny, the showrunner for the series, added to Rae’s explanation and shared what was discussed in the writers’ room regarding Ellis’ character. “Well, he’s not in [Issa’s] life right now. It was hard to make stories around that. We just said, ‘Well, if he’s not around, he’s not around. Let’s just deal with the reality of what her life is now. Let’s be true to that, when you break up and you have closure,'” she said.

The third season of Insecure returns to HBO on Aug. 12.