The Origin of Chimney's Nickname on '9-1-1' Remains the Show's Biggest Mystery

June 2024 · 3 minute read

Why is Chimney referred to as Chimney on '9-1-1'? A lot of questions stay about the cherished character's origin tale.

Source: Fox

You’d be hard-pressed to find a 9-1-1 fan who doesn’t love Howie "Chimney" Han. 

The firefighter exudes positivity and is arguably the most unswerving member of the 118, so when the show introduced that he’d be getting his personal origin tale episode in Season 2 audience were thrilled. After all, we nonetheless hadn’t heard how Chimney were given his nickname.

Why is Chimney called Chimney on '9-1-1'?

It’s been a yr since the Chimney-centric episode aired and we nonetheless don’t know what exactly inspired the title. In Season 2, Episode 4, Henrietta "Hen" Wilson is ready to inform the story to Christopher Diaz, but Chimney stops her. Later, she admits to reporter Taylor Kelly that the tale is "not one you can tell on TV." Interesting.

Source: Fox

Fans shared their very own theories after the procedural failed to provide us with a solution. "I’m thinking maybe he got stuck in a chimney one time and now they tease him about it," one reddit user speculated.

Another mentioned, "A lot of episode storylines are based on actual events. There have been a lot of incidents where idiots/crooks/pranksters have gotten stuck in chimneys and with Chim being so small he would be most apt to get into tight spaces for rescues."

Actor Kenneth Choi can relate to Chimney’s hectic dating together with his father.

Though we’re nonetheless in the darkish with regards to the occasions that led to Chimney’s nickname, the paramedic’s origin tale did divulge why he determined to sign up for the force in 2005. 

Source: Fox

Chimney discovered his true calling after saving a girl who used to be on fire in a bar, however his dad wasn’t extremely joyful with the occupation change, something Kenneth has skilled first-hand. "That storyline actually parallels my own personal storyline," he informed TVLine in 2019.

"I had a situation with my own father where he didn’t really understand what the acting business was. He thought it was a dead-end career, and it took a few years for him to actually come around," the 48-year-old shared. "Now that he has, our relationship has grown substantially, and I wish the same for Chimney."

Kenneth stated that capturing the episode with director Jen Lynch allowed him to get again to the root of the persona. "She kept drilling in the notion that Chimney is all about joy," The People v. O.J. Simpson alum noted.

"He overcomes with joy. He’s joyful. And that informed my performance quite a bit, because I’d kind of forgotten that as the episodes went on, and she reminded me of that fact."

Source: Fox

As for what it was once like to carry an entire episode on his shoulders, Kenneth admitted, "I’ve been wanting an opportunity to take the ball and run with it… When you’re a supporting character, they’ll give you a storyline in an episode with four or five other storylines… But these origin episodes are great because it’s all me."

He added, "They gave me a lot of heavy lifting, but I was ready for it. That’s all you want as an actor."

New episodes of 9-1-1 air Mondays at 8 p.m. ET on Fox.

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