Is Kenneth Choi leaving 9-1-1? Details revealed

9-1-1 season eight episode fourteen recently aired on ABC and left fans shocked and on the edge in its wake. The latest episode of 9-1-1 was the first part of the two-part contagion special on the ABC show, and had the 118 firefighters grappling with a devastating incident. By the end of the latest episode of 9-1-1, a preview for the upcoming fifteenth episode was rolled out, which hinted at an unexpected ending that claims to turn audience expectations on their head.

The character of Howie 'Chimney' Han, played by Kenneth Choi, was shown to be reeling in the throes of the biohazard infection, giving rise to questions regarding the character's death and Choi's consequent exit from the show. However, there has been no official confirmation in this regard, and neither Choi nor ABC have stated anything to this effect.

Here's everything that we know.

What happened on the latest episode of 9-1-1?

The latest episode of the 9-1-1 culminated in such a way that fans of Kenneth Choi were left to speculate about his ultimate fate on the ABC show. It all began when firefighters from the 118 were called to an incident that initially came across as just another fire at a lab, but quickly escalated to be a frightening case of bio-hazard. Chaos prevailed as the firefighting team was trapped inside the lab with the virus already airborne. To make matters worse, Chimney was caught up in an explosion that shattered his protective mask, putting him directly in the way of being infected by the virus.

It was then revealed on the episode that a rogue lab technician by the name of Moira had transformed the virus and reduced its incubation time to less than ninety minutes, essentially giving Chimney too little time to save himself. The teaser for the next episode further hinted that Chimney's fate might be up for question as he was shown coughing blood and in a ravaged state. Only time will tell what fate ultimately befalls him.

Kenneth Choi speaks about his character and 9-1-1

Kenneth Choi gave an exclusive interview to The Wrap in May of last year wherein he spoke at length about his approach to playing Chimney and his general observations about the ABC show. When asked about the narrative choice to bring forward Chimney's psychological struggles on the seventh season of the show, Choi remarked:

"I think they give me these storylines — playing amnesia, brain fog and viral encephalitis, seeing these people from my past that could be devastating, either happy or sad — because Tim (Minear) knows that anything he throws my way, I can handle. So I got very excited once I heard the trajectory of it."

He further added about his character:

"Chimney has that sort of undeniable force in him where he’s going to overcome any obstacle thrown at him. That was him reaching for Kevin in his brain, and Kevin saying, ‘Get up brother. You’ve got to get home. You can’t fall asleep. You got to go keep moving."

9-1-1 airs new episodes exclusively on ABC.

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Edited by Sugnik Mondal