Given the dangers of their post-apocalyptic world, any parting between characters on The Walking Dead could be their last, but there was a particularly loaded goodbye recently on the show. When Ezekiel left Hilltop to join Eugene and Yumiko on an important mission to rendezvous with Eugene’s mysterious radio contact Stephanie, he had an emotional farewell with his old pal and right-hand man Jerry. What with the former Kingdom leader suffering from terminal cancer and the Whisperers attacking back home, there’s a real feeling that the friends won’t meet again.
And it’s not just the fans worrying about this, either. While speaking on the last episode of Talking Dead, Khary Payton revealed that he’s worried he won’t get to share any more scenes with Cooper Andrews on the series. The duo both joined TWD in the same episode – season 7, episode 2 – so they’ve understandably become very close. But are their co-starring days behind them? Here’s what Payton had to say:
“It’s hard to talk about for me, because I think that… I mean, this entire show has been a gift to me. But I think the greatest gift that both Ezekiel and I were given was Cooper Andrews and Jerry,” Payton said. “Because he wasn’t in the comics, he wasn’t really supposed to be there, you know? But they conjured this character out of the air, because they knew about Cooper and they knew he’d be a great fit, and he’s been like a brother to me.”
To clarify, the actor went on to add that he doesn’t know one way or the other, but he’s already getting sad about it because he knows that’s what everyone is thinking.
“I don’t know if that was the last goodbye, I don’t like to think of it as the last goodbye, but people keep talking to me like it’s the last goodbye, and it really starts to… I almost said the wrong word,” Payton added. “It really starts to work on me emotionally, I guess would be the way of saying it.”
Host Chris Hardwick then encouraged the “passionate” Payton to let it all out, saying he can swear all he wants. And the star did as he was told.
“It’s f—ing with my sh-t, dude. It’s f—ing with my sh-t real bad. I’m barely keeping it together!”
Last time we saw them, Ezekiel and co.’s mission to Charleston, West Virginia had got a lot more complicated, and has also gained a new party member in the form of Princess. Meanwhile, Jerry and the other survivors are facing Beta’s walker army which he’s sent to surround the communities’ hideout.
Unfortunately, to find out what happens next, we’ll have to wait a while. The Walking Dead season 10’s finale has been delayed indefinitely due to post-production work being unable to be completed right now. It will air at some point later this year on AMC, but as of yet, it’s unclear when.