After seven seasons portraying Jada on Paramount+’s “The Chi,” Yolonda Ross is stepping behind the camera for her television directorial debut. Ross, whose character died of breast cancer in the show’s seventh season, returns to the hit drama’s eighth and final season to direct its third episode, streaming June 5, 2026 on Paramount+ and airing June 7, 2026 on television. In a recent interview, Ross opened up about the significance of the milestone, her love for the character that made her a household name, and the exciting slate of independent projects she has coming down the pipeline, including a film about the legendary artist Jean-Michel Basquiat, a dark comedy horror called “Flowers Para Los Muertos,” and the Netflix film “Don’t Ever Wonder,” starring Larenz Tate and Nia Long.
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