Jacob Latimore Calls ‘The Chi’ Death Scene the Toughest Thing He’s Ever Done
Jacob Latimore has spent eight seasons building Emmett Washington into one of the emotional anchors of ‘The Chi,’ Showtime’s long-running drama about life on Chicago’s South Side. The series, created by Lena Waithe as a tribute to her hometown, has never shied away from putting its characters through devastating loss. Season 7 proved no exception, closing out with a finale that left fans reeling.
That finale centered on the death of Jada Washington, Emmett’s mother, played by Yolonda Ross since the show’s very first episode. Jada’s cancer, which had gone into remission back in Season 4, returned in Season 7 with a far worse prognosis, ultimately leading to her death in the finale. The storyline gave the show one of its most gutting send offs yet, and it left a lasting mark on the actor who had to play her son’s grief on camera.
Latimore has now opened up about just how difficult that scene was to film. He revealed the season 7 finale moment where Emmett loses his mother as the toughest thing he has ever done on the show. “I’m really close with my mom,” Latimore shared, explaining that his real life bond with his own mother made the material hit close to home.
The actor also described the brutal logistics of capturing that level of raw emotion under a television production schedule. He said he only had about 10 to 15 minutes to pour everything out, and that it took him all day, maybe even all week, to actually get there emotionally. He called it a very fragile moment, a description that underscores just how delicate the balance was between performing on cue and genuinely processing loss in real time.
Yolonda Ross, who played Jada, has spoken about the same emotional fallout from her side of the story. She recalled Latimore choking up early while delivering a speech for Emmett at Jada’s celebration of life gathering, admitting that the cast was a mess once cameras stopped rolling. Jada’s arc had built toward this moment for a while, with her husband Darnell arranging a living funeral on a grief counselor’s suggestion so she could receive her flowers while still alive.
The weight of Jada’s death extends beyond a single episode. Showrunner Lena Waithe has discussed how the major character exits from the season 7 finale will continue to shape the story when ‘The Chi’ returns for its next chapter. That next chapter will also be the show’s last, as Waithe announced that the series will conclude after Season 8, bringing an end to the longest running Black drama on cable.
For Latimore, the scene clearly represents a turning point in his growth as an actor on a show that has shaped much of his career. Losing a television mother while channeling real feelings about his actual mother gave the moment a layered intensity that fans are still talking about. With ‘The Chi’ heading toward its final season, how do you think Emmett’s grief over Jada will continue to echo through the show’s last chapter?
