Jessica Creighton February 5th, 2025 - 3:44 PM
Variety shares an exclusive on Hulu making a shocking decision to cancel the show How To Die Alone. Fans were shattered after the creator and star Natasha Rothwell (The White Lotus) shared a touching Instagram post saying goodbye to her work.
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How To Die Alone was a hit when it was first released in September 2024. The praise for the show never stopped. The dramedy highlights an eight-part series on a black woman working at JFK making just enough to get by. As they follow her life story we learn the depths of her character. Fans appreciate the honesty of the show and the normalcy of the character having a 9-5 job. The choice to cancel the show was unexpected due to its success. How To Die Alone received a 91% on Rotten Tomatoes and was critically acclaimed. Rothwell shared the disappointment in her announcement on Instagram.
I am shocked, heartbroken and frankly, baffled that Onyx has decided not to move forward with a second season of “How to Die Alone.” This is a tough reality to accept because the show is an undeniable critical, creative and award-winning success.
This show took me eight years to bring to life, and if there’s one thing I’ve learned in that time, it’s resilience. I’m not giving up. My team and I are committed to finding “How to Die Alone” a new home because stories like this matter.
As Rothwell not only shares her love for the show, but the diversity aspect. Rothwell starred as the main character Melissa. Many praised the show for having a black female lead not only in a drama series but the comedy aspect as well. Women’s voices in comedy are limited and having a platform where that is shown is crucial.
Now more than ever, television that amplifies previously unheard voices, and that prioritizes hiring and casting decisions that accurately reflect the diversity of the world, is essential. Representation isn’t just about visibility — it’s about ensuring that our stories, our existence and our cultural contributions are not erased.
In an ending to her statement, Rothwell leaves fans with this.
As Maya Angelou so wisely said, “You may encounter many defeats, but you must not be defeated. In fact, it may be necessary to encounter the defeats, so you can know who you are, what you can rise from, how you can still come out of it.”
We are rising. And we are not done.
