Jas Waters, Journalist and TV Writer Behind This Is Us and Kidding, Dies at 39

The Los Angeles Times reports that Jas Waters, an accomplished journalist and television writer celebrated for her work on series including This Is Us and Kidding, has died at 39. Waters forged a notable career at the intersection of cultural reporting and scripted television, and her sudden passing leaves a deep void in both journalism and the writers’ community.

A Career that Bridged News and Narrative

Waters was known for moving fluidly between magazine features and writers’ rooms, bringing an investigative curiosity and cultural nuance to episodic storytelling. Before transitioning to television, she wrote incisive essays and critiques about race, identity, and media that earned her a reputation for frank, thoughtful commentary. Those same qualities—candor, emotional intelligence, and a knack for human detail—colored the dramatic episodes she helped shape on mainstream series.

Shaping Emotional Television: This Is Us and Kidding

On This Is Us and on Kidding, Waters contributed to scripts that balanced heartfelt intimacy with topical themes. Her episodes often centered on relationships, identity, and the quiet tensions of everyday life, helping to deepen viewers’ emotional engagement. By blending humor and heartbreak, she contributed to storytelling that made complex subjects—like mental health and family trauma—accessible to wide audiences.

Creative Contributions and Lasting Influence

• Complex character work: Waters pushed for characters whose flaws and strengths felt grounded and specific.
• Mental health visibility: Through narrative choices, she helped normalize conversations about grief and psychological struggle.
• Inclusive casting and writing: She advocated for voices and stories that reflected a broader range of lived experiences.
• Mentorship: Waters invested time in emerging writers, opening doors and offering pragmatic guidance in an industry where access can be limited.

How Peers Describe Her Impact

Colleagues remember Waters as a writer who elevated material with clarity and compassion. Producers and directors have noted that her presence in the room pushed others to dig deeper emotionally and to take narrative risks. Beyond specific episodes, peers credit her with helping to foster a more collaborative, empathetic writers’ room culture—one where vulnerability was treated as creative fuel rather than a liability.

Representation and the Broader Industry Context

Waters’ career highlights both progress and ongoing gaps in Hollywood. While the past decade has seen a number of initiatives aimed at increasing diversity—such as targeted fellowships, studio-sponsored mentorship programs, and efforts like Ryan Murphy’s HALF Initiative—many writers of color still report barriers to sustained employment and influence in writers’ rooms. Industry observers note that gains in hiring often look uneven when compared to the demographic diversity of the U.S. population.

To amplify underrepresented voices, organizations ranging from the Writers Guild Foundation to independent programs and production-driven initiatives have expanded training and placement efforts. Waters’ own mentorship work aligned with that movement: she often used her platform to connect younger creators with professional opportunities and to encourage structural change.

Mental Health: Lessons and Practical Steps for the Industry

The shock of losing a creative colleague underscores the importance of comprehensive mental health support across film and television production. In recent years, some studios and unions have begun piloting on-set counseling, confidential helplines, and mental wellness resources. Still, advocates say these services should be standardized rather than ad hoc.

Recommended Measures for Production Companies

• Provide on-set counselors and easy referral pathways to licensed clinicians for cast and crew.
• Implement regular wellness check-ins and anonymous reporting channels to reduce stigma.
• Create scheduling practices that limit excessive hours and protect rest periods to prevent burnout.
• Fund ongoing training in stress management, grief support, and peer-to-peer mentoring.

Examples of what this looks like in practice include studios hiring dedicated wellness coordinators for long-running shows and networks contracting with mental-health vendors to offer employees therapy sessions. These models can be scaled across productions to make care more accessible and routine.

Remembering Jas Waters

As friends, collaborators, and readers reflect on Waters’ work, many emphasize the dual legacy she leaves: a body of writing that moved audiences and a commitment to lifting other creators. Her voice—both in journalistic essays and in television scripts—helped open space for more honest, varied storytelling. That influence will continue in the writers she mentored and the stories that take inspiration from her example.

Her death is a reminder of the human lives behind the stories that shape public conversation. For a community already focused on representation and emotional truth, Waters’ life and work reinforce the urgency of supporting creators both artistically and personally.