As The Chi prepares to conclude with its eighth and final season, Shamon Brown Jr. (“Stanley ‘Papa’ Jackson II”) and Michael V. Epps (“Jake Taylor”) reflect on growing up together throughout the series and the emotional legacy left behind by one of television’s most important coming-of-age friendships.
In this discussion, Brown Jr. and Epps open up about the brotherhood between Kevin, Papa, and Jake, what it was like growing up alongside Alex Hibbert both on and off screen, and how The Chi helped shape them personally as they matured alongside their characters over the course of eight seasons.
About THE CHI Season 8
Season 8 of The Chi returns to Chicago’s South Side during its coldest winter yet, forcing characters to confront life-altering choices tied to family, loyalty, survival, and legacy.
As Jake, Papa, Bakari, Emmett, Victor, and others navigate emotional fallout from their pasts, a new generation rises that threatens to reshape the future of the community forever.
The final season continues exploring themes of growth, pain, love, redemption, and the emotional realities of survival on the South Side.
The Chi Season 8 premieres May 22 on Paramount+.
Watch the Full Interview
Topics Covered
- The lasting brotherhood between Kevin, Papa, and Jake
- Growing up alongside Alex Hibbert throughout the series
- How The Chi helped shape them as actors and young men
- Looking back at the evolution of Papa and Jake since Season 1
- What they are most proud of in their characters’ journeys
- The legacy they hope the series leaves behind for audiences
Growing Up Together On and Off Screen
One of the defining emotional anchors of The Chi has always been the friendship between Kevin, Papa, and Jake.
Over the course of the series, audiences watched those characters grow from kids navigating adolescence into young men shaped by trauma, loss, loyalty, and survival. Brown Jr. and Epps reflected on how unique it was to experience that evolution not only as actors, but personally alongside Alex Hibbert over multiple years of filming.
That real-life growth helped give the friendship on screen an authenticity that resonated deeply with viewers.
The Evolution of Papa and Jake
Across eight seasons, Papa and Jake evolved in dramatically different ways while still remaining emotionally connected through shared experiences and history.
Papa’s journey increasingly explored faith, identity, and emotional maturity, while Jake’s arc confronted questions surrounding loyalty, family pressure, and finding purpose within an environment constantly shaped by instability and violence.
Brown Jr. and Epps discussed the emotional responsibility of honoring those character journeys while allowing them to evolve naturally over time.
How THE CHI Shaped Their Lives
For both actors, The Chi became more than simply a television series — it became a major part of their personal growth.
The conversation explored how working on the series helped shape them professionally while also influencing their perspectives as young men growing up alongside the material and themes explored within the show.
That emotional connection to the project remains one of the reasons audiences continue responding so strongly to the series years later.
The Legacy of THE CHI
Since its debut, The Chi has become one of television’s defining modern dramas, offering emotionally grounded storytelling centered around community, family, friendship, and survival.
Brown Jr. and Epps reflected on the impact the series has had on audiences who saw themselves reflected in the friendship between Kevin, Papa, and Jake, particularly younger viewers who grew up alongside the characters throughout the show’s run.
As the final season approaches, the emotional weight of that legacy continues shaping the series’ conclusion.
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