It was a bittersweet moment for the team from How to Die Alone at the 2025 Spirit Awards. Creator and star Natasha Rothwell accepted the award for best ensemble in a new scripted series for the critically acclaimed comedy that was recently canceled just months after its first season debuted on Hulu.
Rothwell delivered a heartfelt tribute, maybe too full of heart as she joked that the beta blocker she took wasn’t stopping her from getting emotional, to the team behind the series, calling out her fellow castmembers by name as well as the producers, writers, crew and those who helped cast the ensemble being recognized.
“The show was about finding humor and heart and humanity in life’s messiness and having it celebrated in this way really truly means everything,” Rothwell said, thanking her producers, team and family for helping bring the “story to life.”
“Your dedication, your creativity, your passion, made this show what it is, and I am forever grateful,” she said.
As for her cast, she said, “You brought these characters to life with so much heart, and I am honored to have shared this screen with you.”
Speaking about the show and her approach to storytelling more broadly, Rothwell added, “How to Die Alone is a show about the need to feel seen, to be valued just as you are. And for Black stories, visibility isn’t a privilege, it is a necessity. We deserve to take up space, to be complex, to be hilarious and to be fully human.”
Though Rothwell indicated when news broke of the cancellation that she would try to find a new home for the series, she didn’t specifically address those plans in her speech. But she seemed optimistic about the future and indicated that fans of the short-lived series, about Rothwell’s single JFK airport employee who turns her life around after a near-death experience, should stay tuned for more.
“Although our time with this show was cut regrettably short, I know that I created something … that is so special, something that will last,” Rothwell said. “And for those of you who connected with the show and felt alone and you long to be seen, don’t worry. This is just one of many stories that I have to tell for us.”
Rothwell also got political in the closing minutes of her speech, expressing her support for the “trans community under attack right now,” in the wake of President Donald Trump’s anti-trans executive orders.
“Know that you are not alone,” she said, addressing trans individuals. “I see you. We all see you. We stand with you.”
Rothwell is currently starring in the third season of HBO’s The White Lotus, reprising her role from season one of the series, and she had a mini reunion with her season three White Lotus co-stars onstage, accepting the award from presenters Carrie Coon and Walton Goggins.
Hulu canceled the Onyx Collective-produced How to Die Alone earlier this month, a little over four months after it wrapped its eight-episode first season on the Disney-owned streamer.
In an Instagram post when news of the cancellation broke, Rothwell said, “This is hard to comprehend. … My heart aches for the incredible cast, crew and writers who gave their all to tell this story. I’m so grateful to have had this opportunity, and appreciate all of the love and support given to me and the show. Now, my prayer is that this news will be but a comma in the HTDA story, not a period. Onward.”
The 40th annual Spirit Awards, hosted by Aidy Bryant, took place at the beach in Santa Monica and streamed live on IMDb and Film Independent’s YouTube channels.
