In The Chi, why did Kevin leave? For once, an exit came without the show's usual backstage drama
Alex R. Hibbert was 12 years old and fresh off Moonlight when he was cast as Kevin Williams in The Chi's 2018 pilot. He played the role for seven years and left at 19. Given this show's history with departing cast members, fans reasonably assumed something had gone wrong. Nothing had.
Hibbert chose to leave. He announced it himself on social media on September 22, 2023, during the midseason break of season 6, saying he was moving on to other projects. His final episode was season 6, episode 8, "Who Shot Ya," which closed out the first half of the 16-episode season. No firing, no reported conflict, no statement from Showtime contradicting his.
His post was straightforward about it:
"It is with a heavy heart that I say goodbye to my castmates," Hibbert wrote in September 2023.
How Kevin was written out
The writers gave him a clean landing. Kevin graduates high school alongside Jake and Papa, gets a job offer in the video game industry, and moves to Los Angeles. At his going-away party he tells everyone that Chicago made him who he is. Then he goes. It's one of the few exits in the show's run that didn't involve a body, a betrayal, or a cliffhanger.
The exits that did come with drama
The contrast is the whole reason people asked questions in the first place. Over eight seasons, The Chi lost cast members under considerably messier circumstances:
- Jason Mitchell (Brandon) — fired in 2019 after misconduct complaints tied to the sets of The Chi and the film Desperados.
- Tiffany Boone (Jerrika) — exited after season 2; Essence reported she had raised concerns about Mitchell's behavior on set.
- Yolonda Ross (Jada) — written out in the season 7 finale after seven seasons. She told TVLine the timing caught her off guard.
- Lynn Whitfield (Alicia) — killed off at the end of season 7, her body found by Victor and Shaad in the closing shot.
Did he ever come back?
No. Hibbert didn't appear in seasons 7 or 8, and Kevin was never brought back for a guest spot, despite fans campaigning for one right up to the finale. The character's departure was left exactly as written: he's in LA, doing fine.
What Hibbert did next
He had Story Ave and Good Burger 2 already lined up when he announced the exit, both released in 2023. He'd also appeared in Black Panther in 2018, during the show's first season.
For the record: The Chi ran eight seasons, ending with "The Last Dance" on July 24, 2026.
That ties it with Dexter, Homeland, and Weeds among Showtime's longest-running series — only Shameless, at 11 seasons, went further.