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‘This Is Us’ Fans Have a New Theory About Jack’s Death — and It Involves William

One show, two heartbreaking deaths. If you’ve been watching NBC’s buzziest family drama, This Is Us, then odds are you’ve probably come up with a theory or two on how you think Pearson family patriarch Jack (Milo Ventimiglia) dies — particularly in light of this week’s heavy episode.

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While fans have known since almost the beginning of season 1 that Jack dies at some point before the present-day scenes, the series has been very careful to reveal only the smallest details about his demise, driving viewers to come to their own conclusions.

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The newest fan theory surrounding Jack’s unfortunate and sure-to-be-devastating death is directly tied to his son, Randall (Sterling K. Brown), and Randall’s biological father, William (Ron Cephas Jones). As fans know (spoiler alert!), the Tuesday, February 21, episode featured a painful but beautiful scene showing William dying from cancer, with Randall holding his face and comforting him by his side.

This resonated with viewers because in a prior episode, Randall mentioned that William needed a nurse to be with him, so he wouldn’t “die when nobody’s lookin’.” 

This specific line led some fans to believe that perhaps Jack had in fact died when nobody was looking, making it a point of anxiety and fear for Randall when it came to William’s impending death.

Considering Jack was constantly surrounded by his loving family for the majority of his life, it’s truly tragic to think of him dying alone. But this theory would also line up with the fear some fans have had that Rebecca (Mandy Moore) was out of town on a tour with her band when Jack died. 

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That said, let’s hope for the sake of Jack Pearson that these fan theories are wrong — but if they’re right, they’re truly brutal.

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Read on to see fans buzzing about this latest heart-wrenching possibility!

Tell Us: How do you think Jack dies?

This Is Us airs on NBC Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET. 

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