After eight seasons, the cast of The Chi is saying goodbye. The hit drama series from creator and executive producer Lena Waithe recently launched its eighth and final season, bringing an emotional close to a show that has spent years telling stories rooted in Chicago’s South Side.
According to PEOPLE, cast members, including Jason Weaver, Jacob Latimore, Yolonda Ross, Zaria Imani Primer, and others, gathered at New York City’s Paradise Club to celebrate the final season and reflect on the impact of the long-running series.
“This is an emotional moment because I think this really puts the cherry on top of this beautiful cake that we’ve baked throughout the course of season 8 and throughout the course of the series,” Weaver told PEOPLE.
Weaver, who joined the series in season four as Rashaad “Shaad” Marshall, said the connection among the cast extended well beyond the work on screen. “These amazing people that I’ve been blessed and fortunate to work with for the past four seasons truly do mean something to me,” he said. “It goes past just us being cast members. I love all of these guys.”
Created by Waithe, The Chi premiered in 2018 and quickly became one of television’s most visible Chicago-set dramas. The series follows a group of residents whose lives intersect across the South Side, exploring family, friendship, violence, ambition, love, and survival.
For Jacob Latimore, who stars as Emmett Washington, the final days of production were especially emotional. “We’ve been crying,” Latimore told PEOPLE. “We literally just wrapped last week … It’s bittersweet, but you know, we’re proud of what we’ve done.”
Latimore’s Emmett has been one of the show’s central characters since the beginning, evolving from a struggling young father into a more grounded and dedicated parent over the course of the series.
Yolonda Ross, who has played Jada Washington since the show’s debut, described the ending as surreal and full circle. “When you start, you don’t expect a major end like this, you don’t expect anything,” Ross told PEOPLE. “I really think fans connect with the show because there are so many people for them to not just gravitate to, but they see themselves, they’ve reflected. They see themselves in our characters, in the situations that happen.”
That connection has been central to The Chi throughout its run. While the show has drawn attention for its dramatic storylines, it has also remained focused on the emotional lives of its characters and the specificity of the community it portrays.
Zaria Imani Primer, who recurs as Lynae, said the farewell has been difficult, especially given the bond among the cast and the fans’ response. “It’s very bittersweet,” she told PEOPLE, adding that she will miss “telling stories like these” and being around the cast every day.
The final season of The Chi debuted May 22 and is available to stream on Paramount+.
For Chicago viewers, the farewell marks the end of a series that kept the city’s South Side at the center of its storytelling for nearly a decade. And for the cast, the goodbye appears to be less about leaving a show behind than closing a chapter on a family they built together.
ALSO READ:
Deli Boys returns May 28 with new cast additions for Season 2
