‘My Life with the Walter Boys’ writer-producer dies at 32 after cancer battle

 

Jesikah Suggs, a television writer and producer known for her work on Netflix’s My Life with the Walter Boys, has died at just 32.

Suggs died at her home in Studio City, California, on August 18, her family confirmed Tuesday.

She had been diagnosed with breast cancer eight years earlier, at the age of 24, Deadline reported.

Despite her diagnosis, Suggs continued building a career in television and was working on the upcoming fourth season of My Life with the Walter Boys at the time of her death.

Born in Dallas on March 2, 1994, Suggs studied film at Baylor University before moving to Los Angeles. She initially worked as an intern on Big Brother and later became an assistant to writer and producer Jason Katims. Her early credits included work connected to Parenthood, and she went on to write and produce for several television projects.

Suggs joined My Life with the Walter Boys during its first season as a story editor before being promoted to co-producer for Seasons 2 and 3. The popular Netflix series premiered in 2023 and follows a teenage girl adjusting to life with a large family in a small town after suffering a devastating loss.

She also worked on Amazon Prime’s It’s Not Like That, co-producing eight episodes and writing one, and previously wrote an episode of As We See It.

Her sister, writer and producer Liz Suggs, remembered Jesikah for refusing to let cancer define her.

“Through it all, she showed up to work every day, eager to defy being defined by cancer,” Liz said.

Suggs underwent extensive treatment after her diagnosis, including a double mastectomy, chemotherapy and radiation. Two years after she was first diagnosed, her cancer had metastasized.

“Jes, once again, courageously endured and triumphed through every treatment imaginable, and she did it with a smile on her face and love for all the healthcare workers who poured their care into her…Her life will continue to bear fruit in the stories told by every writer she touched — so in a sense, she’ll still be writing for a very, very, very long time.”

Suggs had also been open about her experience with cancer on social media. In November 2018, while undergoing chemotherapy, she reflected on the support she had received from friends and family, describing it as a blessing during an incredibly difficult period.

She is survived by her husband, Watchmen actor Dustin Ingram, as well as her mother, Roxanne Suggs; sisters Elizabeth and Kathryn; brother Jimmy and his wife Elizabeth; two nieces, a nephew and other family members. Her father, Jim Suggs, died before her.