One Tree Hill is one of those projects that dominated the early 2000s teen drama era (even if it went on for a bit too long), and it launched the careers of numerous stars, including country crooner Jana Kramer. However, while she played a big part as actress and singer Alex Dupré in the final seasons, she was absent from the series finale. Now, she is finally sharing why she wasn’t there, and the reason is a bummer.
Kramer joined the One Tree Hill cast at the beginning of Season 7 in 2009, and even though Alex was a complete diva at first as the new face of Clothes Over Bros, she gradually came around after spending more time in Tree Hill. But as Alex started branching out into music, so did Kramer. Via People, she revealed during the Drama Queens Podcast wrap party that she had to put her focus on music rather than the show, and it’s why she couldn’t make it for the final episode:
I was told by my label, I couldn’t finish the show. I had to go [on the] radio tour. The men were able to do [both]. I’m like, but he’s doing that and he’s doing that.
Fans last saw Alex in Season 9, Episode 2, as she went on a national tour. It’s likely many viewers had hoped to see her again before the end, but unfortunately, that was not the case. Knowing that Kramer wanted to return, but she couldn’t because of her label, even despite the fact that the guys were able to do both, is disappointing. And it’s more disappointing knowing that Alex didn’t really get a proper conclusion, which is all that The Masked Singer contestant wanted:
My biggest regret in that was that I didn’t get to have a wrap-up. It was just gone. And that was a bummer because truly acting is… that’s my number one [love] besides being a mom, but just to not have that wrap-up with the character still feels a little empty to me. Maybe one day she can come back somewhere.
Since Hilarie Burton-Morgan and Sophia Bush are developing a new OTH sequel series, perhaps fans can still get a proper wrap-up for Alex. The show has not officially been ordered to series by Netflix, and it’s unknown if anyone else will be returning for the revival. But it’s possible that if Kramer isn’t busy and her schedule is open when production begins, perhaps we’ll finally get Alex back, and fans will be able to see what she’s been up to after all these years.
At the very least, Kramer still seems to be close to her OTH pals. If it wasn’t evident by her appearance at the Drama Queens wrap party, she’s done a couple of episodes of the rewatch podcast, which was hosted by Bush, Bethany Joy Lenz, and Robert Buckley for the latter half of the series rewatch.
What would have happened to Alex had Kramer stayed on through the end of the series is unknown. She had gone through a lot, personally and professionally, so it would have been nice to see her for the remainder of OTH. But with the sequel series on the way, I know I’m hoping to see more of Alex Dupré in the near future. For now, we will have to settle for watching the original series with a Hulu subscription.