15 'This Is Us' Fan Theories That Are So Crazy They Could Be True
By now, we're all watching and loving This Is Us, and thankfully, the second season is now underway. The question isn't "Have we seen this amazing emotional show that absolutely everyone is talking about?" but "How do we think that Jack dies?" Yup, it was pretty horrible when we all found out that Jack Pearson, played by the super hot Milo Ventimiglia, didn't make it to the present day. Now that we've had some time to sit with the news and accept it (at least somewhat), we probably all have our own ideas about what really happened.
There are a ton of fan theories out there about This Is Us. Most of them involve what really went down with Jack, but there a few about some other characters and aspects of the show. Read on to find out 15 fan theories about your fave show that will totally surprise you.
15 Jack Is Actually Still Alive
Yes, this is a fan theory, and yes, we 100 percent hope that this is true.
A Reddit user said it was "mistaken identity" and that someone else died instead, but everyone thought that it was Jack. They wrote, "When Jack recovers, he feels so guilty that he hurt his family, he truly believes they are better off without him and does not say he is actually alive. Maybe later he comes to his senses and tries to go back to family, but finds out Rebecca and his best friend are together. At that point, he stays away for good." Oh man. That's a crazy idea, right? On the one hand, it makes sense and would be interesting, but on the other hand, we really do think that Jack is gone.
14 Jack Helped Someone And Lost His Life In The Process
#ThisIsUs theory: Jack will die in a Good Samaritan act, fulfilling his efforts to choose right and be a good guy @Dan_Fogelman
- Bridgette Mills (@smudgitt) March 16, 2017
This theory comes from the idea that Jack was such a decent person, that was what ended his life. It's an interesting thought and would make for some really great television, and yet it's hard to believe.
A fan shared this on Twitter and we do know where she's coming from. We could see Jack doing a "Good Samaritan act" for sure. Jack was for sure a really good guy. That's the best way to describe him. It might not make total and complete sense knowing what we do about a house being on fire. Not sure how that would work with him helping someone. But we get why this is a thing because we all believe that Jack was good and we can't handle him dying in a really sad way.
13 Randall Is Not Actually Part Of The Family
How could Randall not be part of the family? Isn't this just the saddest idea ever?
We can't even stand to think about it but let's chat about it for a minute. The idea is that Randall and Kevin and Kate are actually living separate lives and have nothing to do with each other. That would mean that everything that we've been told up until now has been a total and complete lie, so… we're not going to say that we believe this. In fact, we really don't. This is definitely a fan theory from earlier on in the show, so perhaps the person who came up with it doesn't even think that it's possible anymore. We're glad that Randall is absolutely a part of the fam because we love him so much. After all, they're The Big Three. They are related for sure.
12 Jack Passed Away Thanks To A Washing Machine
Um, what?! That's the only reaction to this fan theory. It's a real thing, though.
We have the wonderful world of Reddit to thank for this one. A Reddit user said that the season one episode called "The Best Washing Machine In The World" gives us some pretty major clues. Their thinking was that the washing machine was kind of broken and Kate might have decided to live in the basement instead of her bedroom. Maybe Kate was the reason that the washing machine was broken, and maybe it caught on fire and that was how Jack died. Whoa. That's an intense theory. It's pretty shocking to think about a washing machine being the reason that Jack didn't make it. Some fans think that it makes a lot of sense.
11 Miguel Did It
Why would Miguel end his best friend in the whole world's life? Fans think it's thanks to that green-eyed monster that we all turn into sometimes. Seems like a simple motive: he wanted Rebecca so he got rid of the obstacle.
Sure, we get that he's with Rebecca now, and maybe he was totally in love with her since the first moment that he met her (aka when she and Jack first got together). It seems more likely that the two of them bonded while in the middle of their grief and ended up falling in love. That happens a lot more often than we might think. It's a thing. This fan theory seems to be around because not everyone thinks that Miguel is a good guy. People just love Jack that much (us included, of course).
10 Jack And Rebecca Are Still Married, Miguel Isn't Really With Rebecca
This fan theory is from a story on Women.com and was based on an early episode. Remember when Miguel and Rebecca first showed up at Randall and Beth's house? That was another twist when we all realized that they were married. We totally freaked out and thought, "OMG WHERE'S JACK?!"
The idea is that Miguel wasn't actually married to Rebecca and was just with her that day. We don't believe this at all, especially since now it's become clear that Jack isn't alive anymore, so it's a very surprising thought. Of course, we totally get it: fans really want Jack to still be around. We do, too. How could we not? He's the best and we basically cheer whenever he's on screen. It's never enough.
9 Jack Passed Away On 9/11
Fans and critics started wondering if this is how Jack died because of how old Kevin, Randall, and Kate are. If Jack died at the beginning of the 2000s at the very latest, then this would seem logical. More proof, according to the fans who believe in this theory: the family was living in Pennsylvania which is not super far away from NYC.
We definitely think that this is a surprising fan theory about This Is Us. 9/11 is obviously such a political thing and it doesn't necessarily seem like the kind of direction that this show would go in. It's also surprising since sometimes, this event is used as kind of a cheap trick to make things seem really dramatic (and even melodramatic). We're not sure that this is what actually happened.
8 He Started That House Fire
At the end of the season two premiere, we saw a house on fire and Rebecca sobbing. It was obvious that this was the night that Jack died. Well, at least that's what we can guess, based on the fact that the cast and crew seem to have confirmed that. But, hey, when it comes to this show, we never say never. We totally get that we might have no clue what is really going on (and we love it).
A fan theory is that Jack started the house fire. Why? Some say that he was drunk and lit the house on fire by accident and because he wasn't exactly thinking clearly. Others say that he was working a construction job and that was how the house ended up on fire. Do we think that he started it? Hmmm.
7 He Was In A Plane Crash
The plane crash fan theory comes from the fact that Kate doesn't love flying. Fans figure that means that Jack died in a plane crash and, therefore, she has some PTSD and lingering fears about it.
Hmmm. While this would make sense if it were true, we don't think that every fan would agree that it's what really happened. It seems like whatever went down, it was a lot closer to home. A plane crash just doesn't seem to really fit the tone of the show. It's too rough and too harsh. Even though it's obviously terrible that he died, the show's tone is very soft and emotional, so we think that however he died, it wasn't quite as disturbing and dramatic as a plane crash.
6 Kate Did It (But Not On Purpose)
Why would fans think that Kate would have been responsible for Jack's death? There have been a few clues, like the fact that she keeps his ashes in her apartment, and that she seems to be the most torn up and emotional about losing him. Yeah, Randall and Kevin obviously loved their dad and had a hard time, but Kate was definitely super close to him. They had a special bond and connection.
It's hard to imagine Kate doing this, even if it wasn't on purpose. We're not so sure that's the reason why she's so upset whenever someone brings him up or why she told Toby that eventually she'll tell him about it but she can't really talk about it right now. Still, it's a pretty popular fan theory, so it's worth thinking about.
5 Jack Had Liver Disease
This is another fan theory that comes courtesy of Reddit. Some users have wondered if Jack had liver disease or another kind of disease related to his drinking problem. It's definitely been a serious problem for him and has lasted a long time.
This is a surprising theory because it would just be so sad if this is really what brought Jack down in the end. We want to believe that he was able to get better and stop drinking, especially since we just watched him take out his aggression at a boxing ring and tell Rebecca that he had handled his issue. Ugh. We just know that if Jack died from something painful like liver disease, it would be tough to take. That's really all we have to say on the subject. We have to go cry now.
4 There Was A Car Crash When Jack Brought Kate To College
Now this is a pretty interesting theory: the idea that Jack was driving Kate to college and crashed the car. Maybe he was drinking. Maybe it was a total accident.
It seems like the majority of fans think that Kate was present when Jack passed away since she seems to have the strongest connection to him and to his death. This is a unique theory and it's surprising since it might not fit with the ages of the kids. When we saw Rebecca and the kids crying and the house on fire, it seemed like Randall, Kevin, and Kate were teenagers, but not quite college-aged. It seems like he died when they maybe had a year or two left of high school. But who knows?!
3 He Drove Under The Influence
We know that Jack drove drunk sometimes, and we know that he had a drinking problem at two different times in his life. We know that it was tough for him to stop and that he even kept a bottle in his office desk drawer. So it's not super far-fetched to think that maybe he got into a car when he was drunk and there was an accident.
It's just surprising to think that he would actually do this and not realize that the outcome could be truly tragic and horrible. We want to think more of him. We know that everyone is flawed and that Jack was not a perfect person, but we want to think that he knew better than driving drunk once again.
2 He Stopped Miguel From Dying In The Fire
By now we know that a house was on fire and that is definitely, absolutely, 100 percent connected to Jack's death. Or at least that's what we think. Again, not totally sure that we can be so confident. But that's all that we have to work with.
People think that Miguel might have died in the fire but Jack stopped that and was basically a hero. It's not that this theory is hard to believe. It's not. It's pretty simple to believe. We know that Jack would want to sacrifice himself for his best friend because he was just that kind of guy. We just aren't totally sure that Miguel was involved at all. It seems like this was all about Jack, whatever really happened.
1 Jack And Rebecca Got Divorced
This fan theory is pretty legit and logical, since Jack and Rebecca did have that epic and painful and horrible fight in the season one finale, "Moonshadow." That was hard to watch… mostly because it was so realistic and so raw. We honestly felt like we were watching a real-life couple having a frank discussion about hopes and dreams and failure.
This would mean that Jack and Rebecca got divorced before he passed away. That's a shocking thought, right? It would actually be the most surprising thing that ever happened on the show. While we have no idea if this is what really happened, we do have to say that we've got our fingers (and toes) crossed that Jack and Rebecca were still married when he passed away. We believe in their love story and just couldn't handle learning that.
