Madison Bailey (left) and Rudy Pankow. Photo: Rodin Eckenroth/FilmMagic; Donato Sardella/Getty

What’s really going on between Outer Banks stars Rudy Pankow and Madison Bailey?

As rumors continue to swirl that Pankow and Bailey — who play JJ and Kiara in the Netflix series, respectively — have had a falling out, a source exclusively tells PEOPLE they are not feuding, despite ongoing fan speculation.

Reps for Netflix, Pankow and Bailey did not immediately return PEOPLE’s request for comment.

Rumors about a feud between the two actors began to intensify after multiple fans pointed out online that it appeared the two used body doubles to film a PDA-filled scene they had together in season 4.

More speculation came after a June 2023 cast dinner, which was also attended by Pankow’s girlfriend Elaine Siemek, Bailey, and her partner Mariah Linney. In the wake of the dinner, both Bailey and Linney reportedly unfollowed Siemek, according to Distractify.

Rudy Pankow as JJ, Madison Bailey as Kiara.JACKSON LEE DAVIS/NETFLIX

With Pankow’s character dying while facing off against his biological father, Chandler Groff (J. Anthony Crane), in the season 4 part 2 finale, reports also surfaced indicating that various endings were filmed to allow Pankow to stay in the series during its fifth and final season.

Although the rumors have not been addressed, creators Josh Pate, Jonas Pate, and Shannon Burke confirmed to Tudum in an article published on Friday, Nov. 8 that Pankow’s character was always meant to die.

Madison Bailey as Kiara, Rudy Pankow as JJ.Jackson Lee Davis/Netflix

“It was a really hard decision because he’s such a great piece of the ensemble. It sets the stage for an epic fifth and final season. We’re planning a story of redemption, and a season that embodies the friendship that JJ had come to represent,” said Josh.

Josh seemingly addressed the cast’s relationship with Pankow, adding in his statement, “JJ’s death was a hard but necessary piece of the architecture for the story, and we plan on honoring that as much as we can because we love the character as much as the fans do. And Rudy’s a great friend of ours.”

Cast of ‘Outer Banks’ at the Season 4 Charleston World Premiere on October 08, 2024.Jeff Hahne/Getty

While the rumors have been following the cast back since season 1, where it is believed that Pankow and Bailey had a falling out, Burke recently told Cosmopolitan that the creators “thought that one of the Pogues would die almost in the very beginning in season 1, and we were pretty sure it was going to be JJ.”

In addition to the cast doing press for season 4 together, Pankow only had positive thoughts when addressing his departure from the series while speaking to Tudum.

“I want to leave the cast and crew with the biggest thank-you. It’s been such a pleasure to come to work. This is by far the biggest thing I’ve ever done in [my] experience, and to have this as my start is a start of a lifetime,” said Pankow. “I’m going to miss it. Thank you for so many fun memories I’ll have [for] the rest of my life.”

During their interviews for season 4, the cast was also emotional when it came to Pankow’s departure and raved about what he brought to the show, including “a lightheartedness that the show desperately needed,” according to Bailey.