Reg's high-stakes comeback in The Chi was "a surreal experience" for Barton Fitzpatrick 

In a jaw-dropping twist, Reg returns in Season 7 of The Chi, alive and very much in the mix, after being absent for four full seasons. His reappearance validates fans' speculations, leading to some major implications for Jake, who was struggling in life without his brother.

In June 2025, an interview with Vibe, Barton Fitzpatrick called his shocking return to The Chi “a surreal experience,” one that fulfilled a long-held personal hope:

"Man, it was truly a surreal experience. It was something I’ve been praying on for years and years and years. Just like the fans, we never saw a body, this and that," said Barton.

He further expressed his excitement about the news, saying that he almost "fainted".

Read on to know the complete details of the interview.

Here is what Barton Fitzpatrick said about his character's comeback in The Chi

Reginald "Reg" Taylor, a key player in the early seasons, is portrayed as a gang leader and an older brother to Jake Taylor. In season 2, he was shot in an ambush with his fate left ambiguous. He was presumed dead by some fans as he vanished from the show, but not showing his death on screen raised some suspicion, sparking years of fan theories about Reg's survival.

When asked what it was like when the news hit him, Fitzpatrick asserted that it was very unexpected:

"I was actually in Los Angeles trying to figure it out with the actors' strike. Work was slow, I had no idea and then, boom, I get a call and here we are."

Reg's return could reshape the power dynamics now in The Chi in the South Side, depending upon the alliances he forms. The actor further said that he almost felt like losing consciousness, reporting the news as the most unexpected one:

"Oh man, I fainted, bro. I really did. I truly did. It was just (that) I’ve never seen anything like this before. It was something that I prayed on, but also one of those things where I just never assumed it to ever happen again. So you can only imagine when I got the call. Yeah, I fainted."

Fans were always right about Reg's character in The Chi

Fitzpatrick, when asked how he felt watching his fans mourning the death of his character, and then the excitement of seeing Reg again on screen, the actor thankfully emphasised the fact that one doesn't understand the value of things until they are gone:

"It was like they always have said, you don’t know what you have until it’s gone. That’s one thing, but for the fans to show the love that they did because they really made this possible."

He added how it feels when he is stopped on the street by someone who recognises him from his character in The Chi, and they always let him know that they miss him:

"Like even now, getting stopped on the street, all of my fans and the supporters, they’ve always just shown love and embraced me. And just made it their business to let me know how much I’ve been missed. So, you know, it’s crazy."

Fitzpatrick further thanked the writers and the makers for making this come true.

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Catch The Chi only on Paramount+ with SHOWTIME.

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