Anthony Anderson opens up about filming the series finale for Black-ish and revealed he got more emotional than expected. It is only natural that emotions would be running high as Black-ish wraps up after a staggering eight-year run. Black-ish is an American sitcom that premiered in 2014 and has sparked two spinoffs, Grown-ish and Mixed-ish. The series follows Andre Johnson (Anderson) the father of an upper class Black family who struggles to ensure his children remember their heritage despite growing up privileged in a predominantly white neighborhood.
Black-ish has received mainly positive reception, with many praising the show's tackling of political and cultural topics. The show has notably tackled topics such as racism, police brutality, and gun control, and even had Michelle Obama guest star in season 8. Meanwhile, Anderson, alongside Tracee Ellis Ross, Marcus Scribner, Miles Brown, and Marsai Martin, have all starred in main roles in Black-ish throughout the entirety of its run. Viewers literally watched Scribner, Brown, and Martin grow up on screen. Viewers have also been able to follow along with Yara Shahidi, who portrays Johnson's oldest daughter, in her spin-off series Grown-ish. However, on April 19th, 2022, Black-ish will conclude its run and air its final episode.
While appearing on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Anderson revealed that he became more emotional than expected while filming the Black-ish season finale. While he admitted he cried, he pointed out he didn't cry quite as much as his co-star, Ross, who cried everyday. However, he did admit that on the final day of filming, he did lose it a bit. While he hadn't expected to lose it the way he did, it just goes to show much the show and his co-stars mean to him. Check out his statement below:
I did [cry]. I didn’t cry as much as Tracee Ellis Ross, though. She cried every day. Actually the last day I think I cried a little bit more than [Ross] did, and I didn’t think it was going to hit me the way that it did. Because we had been working up to that moment — we knew what the last day was. I had been prepping myself for it, and in the last scene on the last day is when I lost it, and it was unexpected for me. I didn’t expect to lose it the way that I did, but that just goes to show how much I love what I do [and] love doing it with the people that I did it with for the last eight years.
It is certainly not surprising that Anderson would get so emotional, considering Black-ish's longevity. To have a series be part of one's life for eight years and to have to come to terms with the idea that it is ending, is simply unimaginable to many. However, a small comfort may be that Black-ish continues to live on, particularly in its Grown-ish spin-off series. Following the close of Black-ish, Scribner will be joining Grown-ish season 5, thus, allowing viewers to see the second oldest Johnson child on his journey to being grown. Meanwhile, it is also likely that the rest of the Johnson family will continue to be special guests on the series from time to time. Additionally, the cast of Black-ish is now equipped with eight years of solid experience and will be ready to tackle further acting projects of their own.
Overall, Anderson's reaction to Black-ish ending is understandable. Not only has the show run for eight years, but Anderson has been a staple in the series since its start. As executive producer, Anderson has worked alongside Kenya Barris from the beginning to make Black-ish a reality. Additionally, the show's serious underlying themes elevate it to far more than just a sitcom. The cast and crew of Black-ish have truly built something special in the past eight years, creating a show that was funny, but that also resonated deeply with audiences. Anderson kept it real for Black-ish fans one last time by opening up on about the series' emotional finale and showing just how much the series has truly meant to him.
Source: The Ellen DeGeneres Show
