‘This Is Us’: Chrissy Metz Breaks Down Kate’s ‘Closure’ After Abortion Reveal & Trust Issues With Ellie

HollywoodLife spoke EXCLUSIVELY with Chrissy Metz about Kate’s abortion, Kate finally confronting Marc, what the reveal means for Kate and Toby’s relationship, and more.

This Is Us peeled back an important and defining layer of Kate’s past during the Jan. 5 episode. Kate revealed to Toby that she had an abortion 20 years earlier and finally confronted her abusive ex-boyfriend, Marc. HollywoodLife talked EXCLUSIVELY with Chrissy Metz about whether Kate’s final conversation with Marc was the closure she needed to fully move forward with her life.

“I think that she’s gotten the majority of the closure for sure,” Chrissy told HollywoodLife. “Nothing is simple. Nothing is cut and dry. It’s always layered, and you peel back the layers. Once you’ve gotten that layer down, you’re like, there’s this and there’s that. I think that she has peeled back a massive, significant layer of pain and sorrow and secrecy that she’s been keeping. I think that so much of that is really fueling the confrontation with Marc because she’s wanted to say these things for a very long time, and she’s been holding on to them for a very, very long time. Now that she has gone through the pain and the shame and the guilt about her father’s death,  she fell in love, and she’s a mother, I think she’s stronger. I think while she continues to create self-esteem, she’s stronger and more powerful in her own body, but I think that there are more layers, of course, to uncover.”

During the flashback portion of the episode, teen Kate goes to see Marc before having her abortion. As she prepared to tell him she was pregnant, Marc’s true colors came out once again. Marc’s controlling and manipulative tendencies were right in front of Kate, and she walked right out of his apartment before the abuse could continue. HollywoodLife asked Chrissy whether or not there was any part of Kate that was considering keeping the baby when she went to see Marc.

“If she really knew [what she was going to do], she wouldn’t have gone,” Chrissy continued. “I think that she always had hope, as we always do, we have hope that a person’s not really who they are showing us who they are. He was just so incredibly self-centered. It was all about how he was feeling and being manipulative and all those things. So I definitely think that she, for a moment, thought that if he acts differently then maybe this could work, maybe she’d change her mind, or maybe this could be a wonderful experience.”

Kate told Toby about her experience, but she never told her mother. Chrissy revealed why she thinks Kate never has. “I don’t think she told her because she always feels like she has to prove herself to her mom,” Chrissy explained. “I think she always feels like she disappoints her mom. Whether that to be true or not, that is Kate’s perception because I’m sure Rebecca would accept her decisions with open arms. Whether she agrees with the decisions or not, I think that Rebecca would love her through it. I hope that she eventually tells her. I think that, especially because of the health issues that Rebecca is handling right now, she might not think it’s the right time. So it’s really hard to say if she will.”

Toby was shocked by Kate’s reveal, but he supported her as she got the closure she needed. So, what’s next for Katoby, and will this secret have repercussions for them? “It will continue to reveal itself and how and if it has affected their connection,” Chrissy teased. “I do think that it’s not the last that we’re going to hear of it. Only because I don’t think that while he’s pretty doggone perfect, I don’t think anybody could go through something like that and just have one conversation about it.”

Kate and Toby have a lot on their plate, including adopting a second child. The couple met with a woman named Ellie and hope to adopt her baby. Chrissy hinted at Kate having trust issues with Ellie because of the situation with the baby. “There’s always the possibility of the birth mother keeping the child,” Chrissy told HollywoodLife. “There are different laws in different states. But I think that Kate and Ellie have a really interesting, budding friendship and connection. But I think they’re probably both afraid to get close to each other because of the system and the circumstance. But we’re going to definitely see what ends up panning out. Just like anything in life, we want to trust people, and we want to believe that they have our best interests at heart. But you just never know.” This Is Us airs Tuesdays at 9 p.m. on NBC.