Why Did Adrian Grenier Not Return for 'The Devil Wears Prada 2'? Actor's Absence Explained

Adrian Grenier did not return for the highly anticipated sequel to The Devil Wears Prada.

In the original 2006 comedy-drama film, Grenier played the role of Andy's infamous boyfriend, Nate Cooper. He costarred alongside Anne Hathaway, Meryl Streep, Emily Blunt and Stanley Tucci, who all returned to reprise their respective roles in The Devil Wears Prada 2.

Ahead of the 15th anniversary of The Devil Wears Prada in 2021, the 49-year-old actor admitted his character "had not grown up."

"He couldn't support [Andy] like she needed because he was a fragile, wounded boy ... on behalf of all the Nates out there: Come on! Step it up!" he said.

In June 2025, a news outlet confirmed Grenier would not return for the sequel but did not provide the reason behind the exclusion.

Reacting to the decision, the Entourage alum said he was "disappointed" he was omitted from the cast of The Devil Wears Prada 2.

"But, you know, apparently, my character is a controversial character, so he might need his own spinoff," he suggested.

Grenier assumed the backlash surrounding Nate may have influenced the decision to leave him out of the project.

In spite of that, he put a positive spin on The Devil Wears Prada 2 snub in a Starbucks ad, saying to the camera, "You might have seen the headlines — I wasn't asked to be part of a certain sequel. But I'm good. Really. It's all good energy."

As his The Devil Wears Prada character was met with backlash, Grenier declared he could "understand the sentiment" but had to "stand for [his character]."

"I've re-watched that film a bunch of times, and it feels like they were both just working really hard to make it in their careers," he explained to People, later pointing out that Nate had "some growing up to do, and manning up."

He previously reflected on how he eventually understood why fans heavily criticized his character.

"All those memes that came out were shocking to me," he told Entertainment Weekly in 2021. "It hadn't occurred to me until I started to really think about it, and perhaps it was because I was as immature as Nate was at the time, and in many ways he's very selfish and self-involved, it was all about him, he wasn't extending himself to support Andy in her career."

Grenier added, "At the end of the day, it's just a birthday, right? It's not the end of the world. I might've been as immature as him at the time, so I personally couldn't see his shortcomings. But after time to reflect and much deliberation, I've come to realize the truth in that perspective."

Shedding light on the real reason Grenier was excluded from the sequel, director David Frankel revealed he briefly considered bringing the actor back for a brief appearance in The Devil Wears Prada 2 — but the idea ultimately fell apart.

"I had an idea about sneaking him into a cameo, and, in the end, it was just too late in our production schedule to make it happen," the filmmaker told Entertainment Weekly, referring to the movie's completion less than a month before the May 1 release date.