SEAL Team boss pays tribute to Max Thieriot after exit

Many fans felt the writing was on the wall for Clay Spenser (played by Max Thieriot) after Bravo’s botched mission in Mali last season. Max juggling his SEAL Team duties with his brand new CBS show, Fire Country, didn’t help the rumours either, and viewers had their worst fears confirmed when they tuned into the latest episode of season six on Paramount+ last week.Showrunner Spencer Hudnut has paid tribute to long-running SEAL Team star Max after his character’s devastating death in the eighth episode of season six.Many fans were expecting Clay’s departure to happen sooner or later after Max signed up to lead Fire Country, a first-responder drama which has become a hit for CBS with its first season.Their theories proved correct in Sunday night’s episode, Aces and Eights, which ended with Clay suffering two fatal shots to the chest after an altercation with disgruntled veteran Ben (Joey Pollari).Spencer revealed Max’s new project initially threw his availability for season six up in the air, hence the ambiguous outcome of the shootout in season five’s finale.READ MORE: Mike Tindall dishes brutal response to Matt Hancock ‘Bulls**t’ SEAL Team boss pays tribute to Max Thieriot after heartbreaking Clay exit: ‘So proud!’ (Image: Paramount) SEAL Team: Clay has had the full support of his wife Stella (Image: Paramount) SEAL Team: Max’s new show Fire Country has been a big hit for CBS (Image: CBS) SEAL Team: Clay Spenser’s tragic exit arrived last Sunday (Image: Paramount)’In terms of the decision… I really was kicking the can down the road as far as possible,’ Spencer admitted to TV Line.'[I was] hoping that Max wouldn’t be leaving the show, and that we would keep him.’It wasn’t until maybe even a month after Fire Country got picked up that it became clear that Max was leaving.’Everyone had talked about how he could do both shows, but it was very clear that that wasn’t the case.’DON’T MISS:The Crown fans slam ‘miscasting’ of Prince Charles [REACTION]NCIS LA season 14 hints at wedding disaster for Callen and Anna [TEASER]Outlander’s Sam Heughan opens up on body image struggles [INSIGHT]Unfortunately for SEAL Team fans, Max’s commitments to Fire Country won out, and Clay was subsequently written out of the series with a devastating misunderstanding which culminated in his death.Thankfully, his performance in Fire Country has already had stellar reviews, so fans should expect to see Max remaining on their screens for many more years to come.’I’ve had a ton of faith in Fire Country ever since Max first talked to me about it,’ Spencer maintained. ‘It’s a great show.’If I had thought it had a chance of tanking, I may have made a different decision about Clay’s fate, but I’m fully confident that that show is going to air for years on CBS.