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Lena Waithe

@lenawaithe

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What began as a love letter to Chicago’s South Side became one of the most important Black stories ever told on television.For years, The Chi gave us community, conversation, heartbreak, healing, joy, and characters that felt like family. It made Chicago feel like home while spotlighting the beauty, complexity, and humanity of life with care and intention.Now, as the longest-running Black drama series in premium cable and streaming history, ESSENCE honors the legacy of a cultural institution that changed the landscape of storytelling forever.This is their final curtain call and serves as a standing ovation to the stories, performances, and cultural impact that made The Chi a defining force in television.Featuring Lena Waithe, Luke James, Hannaha Hall, Birgundi Baker, Jacob Latimore, and Jason Weaver, this moment is both a celebration and a thank you. To the cast. To the city. To the culture.Some stories entertain us.The Chi became a part of us.Read more of our digital cover story at ESSENCE.comRoll The Credits: Photographer: @lelanief Production: @allworthypeople Talent: @lenawaithe @jacoblatimore @hannahahall @wolfjames @birgundi_baker @itsjasonweaver Stylist: @newheartnyc Hair: @takishahair Makeup: @alovethepro Special thanks to: @paramountplus Essence Editorial Director & Writer: @ghostwritervic Content Operations Manager: @shelbylnstewart VP, of Social & Special Projects: @mentionme VP, Video: @nicolejanuarie Visuals Director: @hashtag_bre Art Director: @so.litVP, SMTG Creative - @praise_odg by @lenawaithe

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15 days ago

To Chicago, With Love. The South Side gave us the stories. Lena Waithe made sure the world saw the people behind them. From love, loss, queer joy, family, ambition, and survival — The Chi never asked its characters to be perfect. It only asked them to be human.What began as a response to the headlines became television’s longest-running portrait of Black life in all its complexity. Eight seasons later, the series takes its final bow not as the show people expected, but as the one so many grew up alongside.In her intimate conversation with ESSENCE, Lena reflects on building a world where its characters and audience could evolve together, why discomfort was always part of the assignment, and the lasting legacy she hopes The Chi will leave behind long after the credits roll.“I think there was something that was missing from that report, which was the humanity of the city and how violence could come about and why it was happening,” she says. “And I think that’s really what I wanted to get to the root of is what is the cause, not just the effect.”We are so PROUD OF YOU. Ascend to heights and levels unseen and untouched with a pen that has now wrote stories in the archives of our people forever. You Win my dear, Lena. Read our digital cover story at ESSENCE.com. Roll The Credits: Photographer: @lelanief Production: @allworthypeople Talent: @lenawaithe Stylist: @newheartnyc Hair: @takishahair Makeup: @alovethepro Custom Look @dvmnpigeon Special thanks to: @paramountplus Essence Editorial Director & Writer: @ghostwritervic Content Operations Manager: @shelbylnstewart VP, of Social & Special Projects: @mentionme VP, Video: @nicolejanuarie Visuals Director: @hashtag_bre Art Director: @so.litVP, SMTG Creative - @praise_odg by @lenawaithe

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@lenawaithe discusses her play, 'The Peculiar Patriot,' and shares a call to action for showing up for Black artists: "We can't complain about the world we live in if we don't support the art that reflects ourselves." by @lenawaithe

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22 days ago

There are rooms you walk into and immediately understand the weight of what’s being built. This was one of them.@BlackWomenOnBroadway’s fifth anniversary wasn’t a celebration. It was a reckoning. A public acknowledgment that @alanaraquelbowers, @debramchase, @destinycasting, and @yesimwhitneywhite have been shaping the architecture of this industry long before the industry caught up.And what @thedaniellebrooks, @jjbioh, and @amberiman_ have constructed is proof that the vision was always bigger than a moment: a nonprofit, a pipeline, a platform, and a permanent place in the story of what Broadway can be. The movement is documented. The legacy is live.When Black women are celebrated, the whole world gets a better story. by @lenawaithe

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2 days ago

🍒Lena Waithe🍒 by @lenawaithe

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Lena Waithe 🍒🍒🍒 by @lenawaithe

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Lena Waithe on Armchair Expert 🍒 by @lenawaithe

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Tomorrow, June 2nd, there will be another free giveaway for 20 tickets!! First come first serve!Show begins at 7:00pmSpecial shout out to @naturi4real @lailaodom and @sonjasohn for their generous contributions and making this happen! by @lenawaithe

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3 days ago

Lena Waithe (Master of None, The Chi), is a beautifully thoughtful person with the most inviting rasp. She’s also a powerhouse writer. This was a joy and a pleasure :) @armchairexppod @lenawaithe @lenawaithe by @lenawaithe

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LENA WAITHE is here!!!! She is an Emmy-winning writer, producer, actor, and all around great time. Watch on YouTube or listen wherever you get your podcasts 🍒 @lenawaithe by @lenawaithe

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There are moments in culture that feel larger than promotion. Larger than press. Larger than the machinery required to bring them into existence.What stays with me most is not simply the imagery, but the people behind it. The producers moving pieces in silence. The photographers chasing feeling rather than perfection. The stylists, glam teams, creatives, assistants, publicists, and countless hands building something far greater than a photoshoot. Every detail touched by intention. Every frame carrying weight.For years, this series gave audiences more than television. It offered mirrors. It offered refuge. It offered language for grief, joy, survival, love, community, and what it means to keep choosing one another.To stand inside this final chapter alongside so many brilliant people is not something I know how to summarize neatly.Some productions wrap.Some leave fingerprints.This one changed us.Visit ESSENCE.com for more and a new episode of @shothechi just dropped on @paramountplus 💜BTS Photography: @tsikudo_ Photographer: @lelaniefProduction: @allworthypeopleStylist: @newheartnycMy custom suit, @dvmnpigeon Hair: @takishahairMakeup: @alovetheproEditorial Director: @ghostwritervicContent Operations Manager: @shelbylnstewartVP, of Social & Special Projects: @mentionmeSocial + Music: @marquisphiferVisuals Director: @hashtag_breArt Director: @so.litWriter: @ghostwritervic by @lenawaithe

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4 days ago

Honored does not even begin to cover it.To see this story, this cast, and this final chapter of The Chi celebrated on the cover of ESSENCE is something I do not take lightly. What made this moment even more special was witnessing the extraordinary crew who poured themselves into every detail of this historic shoot. From production to photography, styling to glam, creative to execution, every frame was built with intention, care, and an immense amount of love.For years, this series has given the world community, conversation, joy, healing, and reflection. To help steward this final bow alongside so many brilliant hands and hearts is a privilege I will carry with me forever.Grateful to the cast. Grateful to the crew. Grateful to everyone who believed these stories deserved to be seen.Some projects become work. Some become a part of you.This one became family.Visit ESSENCE.com for more and a new episode of @shothechi just dropped on @paramountplus 💜BTS Photography: @tsikudo_ Photographer: @lelaniefProduction: @allworthypeopleStylist: @newheartnycMy custom suit, @dvmnpigeon Hair: @takishahairMakeup: @alovetheproEditorial Director: @ghostwritervicContent Operations Manager: @shelbylnstewartVP, of Social & Special Projects: @mentionmeVisuals Director: @hashtag_breArt Director: @so.litWriter: @ghostwritervic by @lenawaithe

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