Inside Kenneth Choi’s Emotional Battle With 9-1-1 Producers Over a Devastating Goodbye

The death of Captain Bobby Nash on 9-1-1 didn’t just break fans — it broke the cast, too. And no one felt the loss more deeply than Kenneth Choi.

Choi, who plays fan-favorite Howie “Chimney” Han, has opened up about the emotional toll Bobby’s sudden death had on him behind the scenes. When he first read the script detailing Bobby’s final moments, he admitted to breaking down in uncontrollable sobs.

For Choi, Bobby wasn’t just another character — he was the beating heart of Station 118. The emotional glue. The father figure. And the thought of losing him from the narrative didn’t sit right.

“I was devastated,” he revealed. “It didn’t make any sense to me. Why would you take away the core of the team?”

So powerful was his reaction that he confronted the producers directly, questioning the decision and pushing back on the storyline, even as they moved forward with filming Bobby’s funeral scenes. The idea of continuing the show without Bobby, he said, felt like a betrayal to everything 9-1-1 had built emotionally.

While the creative team stood firm on their decision, Choi’s grief was mirrored by fans across the globe. His candid reaction has only added to the rawness surrounding Bobby’s exit — and has given viewers a glimpse into the pain felt behind the scenes.

As 9-1-1 moves forward into its next chapter, Chimney’s journey through grief and loss will no doubt reflect the emotional truth Kenneth Choi carried into every scene.