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- The “Never Have I Ever” Cast Say Farewell After 4 Seasons: “What a Ride It’s Been”
The “Never Have I Ever” Cast Say Farewell After 4 Seasons: “What a Ride It’s Been”
Getty / Steve Granitz
The time has come: “Never Have I Ever” is officially over after four emotional, whirlwind seasons filled with lots of laughs and teen drama. The Netflix series bid fans farewell on June 8 with the premiere of its fourth and final season. The show’s ending had been teased since early 2022, with creator Mindy Kaling and showrunner Lang Fisher breaking the news in a statement that thanked fans for all their support through the years – “especially you #Bevi and #Daxton stans.”
Kaling touched on why she decided to end the show with season four in a 2022 interview with POPSUGAR, explaining, “In the beginning, I thought, ‘Oh, I could do this show forever and ever,’ but then you see these kids and it’s scary how old they look by the end of the season.” She continued, “Then you wait a year to shoot again, and you’re like, ‘Oh, this is why high school shows wrap it up in four seasons.’ When Lang suggested, ‘What if we try to do all of their storylines in four years?’ it really did end up making sense.”
“Never Have I Ever” – which stars Maitreyi Ramakrishnan (Devi), Darren Barnet (Paxton), Jaren Lewison (Ben), Lee Rodriguez (Fabiola), and Ramona Young (Eleanor) – has proved to be a groundbreaking series not just for touching on topics like grief, identity, and acceptance amongst teens, but for making strides for South Asian actors and onscreen representation. “It’s something that we feel very privileged to do,” Richa Moorjani, who plays Kamala, Devi’s cousin, previously told POPSUGAR. Her costar and best friend Poorna Jagannathan, who plays Devi’s mother Nalini, added, “I feel like we were one of the firsts to bring such to mainstream television, a story that is so specific and yet so universal.”
Looking back on all four seasons of her show, Ramakrishnan told POPSUGAR, “I definitely have grown alongside [Devi] for sure. That’s without a doubt. I went on this roller-coaster ride that I never thought I would be on.” She also shared how “lucky and fortunate” she feels to have experienced a project “with people who share that desire to feature a South Asian family, a brown girl who’s living her life trying to just find romance and really be with her friends. It’s just a dream.”
Now that the final season is out on Netflix, the “Never Have I Ever” goodbyes have rolled in from the cast, along with some fun behind-the-scenes content they already shared on social media. Read ahead to find out how the rest of the cast is bidding their series adieu.
Related: Are the Cast of “Never Have I Ever” Single or Taken? Let’s Find Out!
Getty / Leon Bennett
Maitreyi Ramakrishnan
On the day of season four’s premiere, Ramakrishnan penned a heartfelt tribute to her “Never Have I Ever” “family” in an Instagram photo carousel with her first of “a lot of BTS posts to come.” “I wanted it to be about my family. Most of whom isn’t photographed because really, my family and I barely take any photos together. To me, my family includes both @mindykaling and @louielang since they are truly my family,” she began. “Like I have always said, they are my fairy godmothers who have turned me into a princess. My family believes in me when I don’t and see potential in me when I see nothing but insecurities. My family has brought out the best in me with unconditional support and love that truly I am so blessed and grateful for.”
She continued, “So thank you to my family by blood and by choice. Shoutout to the crew members who truly raised me to be the actor that I am now and hope to continue to be at my core throughout my career. Of course all the hugs and kisses to the amazing writers who wrote this utterly beautiful story that helped me learn so much about myself as a young woman.m #WGASTRONG . Sincerely, thank you.”
The 21-year-old actor then concluded her post with a heartwarming message to her “lovely fans.” “Thank you for all your support no matter what it is you decide to take away from the show. Big or small, I love it all,” Ramakrishnan wrote. “You all make it truly so fun to make memes for, tweet nonsense too, and of course constantly prank (I am a little sorry for when I prank you too much). Thanks for watching Devi grow up, and for watching me grow up. This may be the end of Devi, but it isn’t the end of any of our stories. We are only just beginning. It’s time to kick back and enjoy the show because it’s going to be a wild ride. I love you all so much❤️.”
Getty / Tommaso Boddi
Mindy Kaling
Kaling also shared a passionate message on Instagram on the day of “Never Have I Ever“‘s season four premiere in Los Angeles, writing, “Tonight is the premiere of season four – the final season! – of ‘Never Have I Ever.’ Lang and I aren’t going to be at the premiere (#wgastrong!) so it was really important that I tell our cast and crew how much I love them, and how sad I am not to be joining them. @maitreyiramakrishnan, @poornagraphy, @richamoorjani, @jarenlewison, @darrenbarnet, @leerodriguez, @ramonabishyoung, @ranjichakra, @benanorris, @sendhil_rama, @megansuri, I love you guys so much. When @loulielang and I created a show about an Indian girl making her way through high school, grieving the loss of her father but trying to be cool and normal, we wanted to make something personal that the two of us would want to watch. To feel better about missing our dead parents and shine a light on the experience of being headstrong nerds in high school.”
Kaling went on to write that “the outpouring of love for the show has been the highlight of my career,” adding, “I love what I get to do, and I understand how lucky I am to be able to work in Hollywood at all. I hope the strike ends soon. It sucks to miss all these fun and meaningful milestones, but it’s a great example of what we are willing to sacrifice to be treated fairly.”
She concluded her caption by writing, “I love you, my Never Have I Ever cast and crew. Send me tons of texts and pics from the premiere. And to the fans around the world – enjoy the new season. We could only make this show because of you! Lang and I are so grateful to everyone who watched the show! Never Have I Ever… loved a creative experience more than this. ❤️.”
Getty / Leon Bennett
Darren Barnet
Barnet shared a sweet message to viewers on Instagram a few days after the “Never Have I Ever” season four premiere in Los Angeles. “That’s a wrap! Thank you to each and every lovely human that made this show possible,” he wrote. “Thank you to our loving fans. We adore you. Season 4 of @neverhaveiever is out June 8th on @netflix 🙏❤️.”
Getty / Steve Granitz
Jaren Lewison
Lewison celebrated the premiere of “Never Have I Ever“‘s final season on June 8 by posting a fun video of his castmates dancing around on Instagram. “What a ride it’s been,” he wrote in a caption. “I love you all! Especially @mindykaling & @loulielang who changed my life forever ❤️.”
Getty / Steve Granitz
Lee Rodriguez
In an interview with POPSUGAR, Rodriguez reflected on “Never Have I Ever” ending, saying it feels “absolutely surreal” to say goodbye after four seasons. “Growing with these characters, getting to know them and everyone else in the cast. I am so happy with the way that the show ended, and I’m so grateful that we got to have an ending that everyone will be happy with. We were really lucky in that instance.”
Getty / MICHAEL TRAN
Richa Moorjani
Similar to her costar Ramakrishnan, Moorjani, who plays Kamala, penned a touching tribute message on Instagram leading up to season four’s premiere. “4 seasons of a show that has forever changed me, but more importantly has changed the course for South Asians in Hollywood and become a part of the tapestry of what it means to be brown in this country today,” she wrote. “Eternally grateful to @mindykaling @loulielang and all the brilliant writers (#wgastrong) for creating a nuanced, hilarious and deeply emotional show that had the capacity to reach the hearts of an international and intergenerational audience, while centering and celebrating our people and giving young (and older) brown girls and boys everywhere a source of confidence and belonging. I have genuinely never been more proud of anything in my life. This may be the end of the story for the Vishwakumars, but I know it’s just the beginning of many many more beautiful brown stories to come. 👩🏽 I love this cast and crew with all my heart and it’s been the honor of a lifetime to be a small part of this historical moment for my glorious community of South Asians.”
She concluded her post by writing to fans, “Lastly, to each and every one of you out there that has shown our little show so much love and expressed how this show has deeply impacted you for different reasons – I think I speak for all of us when I say it means more to us than any award, nomination or review. That’s what storytelling is about. We love you.”
Getty / Emma McIntyre
Niecy Nash
“Saying ‘Goodbye’ is never easy🥲 but @neverhaveiever went out in style!” Nash wrote on Instagram following the show’s red carpet premiere. “@netflix purple carpet premiere & after party was EVERYTHING 🎉 @mindykaling I love you! @maitreyiramakrishnan I will forever be YOUR. Dr. Ryan🥰.”
Getty / Michael Buckner
Benjamin Norris
“I am so incredibly grateful for these two women,” Norris, who plays Trent, began in an Instagram post featuring a photo of himself with Kaling and Fisher. “@mindykaling and @loulielang trusted me with bringing Trent to life, a character that will always be near and dear to my heart.”
He continued writing, “Not only that, but I was also able to work with a group of people who became family to me. I adore each and every one of them. All of the writers poured their hearts and souls into delivering such a beautifully special story for the world to see. And on top of that, we have the sweetest, kindest, most enthusiastic fans. This show truly is lightning in a bottle, and I cannot believe how lucky I am to be a part of it. From the bottom of my heart, thank you Mindy and Lang!! ❤️.”