Natasha Rothwell Calls ‘How to Die Alone’ Cancellation A ‘Shock’

Natasha Rothwell says she’s ‘baffled” about the cancellation of How to Die Alone, the Hulu sitcom she starred in and created at Hulu. The actress and writer, who had a breakthrough role as Kelli in Insecure and won critical acclaim for her appearance in The White Lotus, brought the project to Onyx Collective in 2022, and it started airing on Hulu in 2024.

But after one season, Hulu pulled the plug on the show which starred Rothwell as Mel, an employee at JFK Airport who nevertheless had never been on a flight.

Understandably, Rothwell wonders why the show had such a short lifespan. How to Die Alone won an Independent Spirit Award for Ensemble Cast in a New Scripted Series and is up for three NAACP Image Awards.

“I am shocked, heartbroken, and frankly, baffled that Onyx has decided not to move forward with a second season of How to Die Alone, Rothwell said in an official statement. “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.”

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She added, “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.”

Source: Michael Rowe / Getty

Onyx Collective was created by Disney in 2021 to bring more content from BIPOC creators to its platforms. They are behind both the Oscar-winning Summer of Soul documentary, directed and produced by Questlove, and the Sly Stone doc, also directed by Quest, which is coming out later this year.

Reasonable Doubt, starring Emazatzy Corinealdi, is an Onyx Collective show currently in its second season. Two of their other projects – Unprisoned with Kerry Washington and Delroy Lindo and The Other Black Girl, based on the book of the same title, were canceled as well.

Rothwell will be seen in the third season of The White Lotus, returning to HBO on February 16. She says she’ll be shopping How to Die Alone to another network.

See how upset the show’s viewers are about the cancellation below.

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