“11.22.63” Ending Explained: Does Jake Stop JFK’s Assassination?
- - “11.22.63” Ending Explained: Does Jake Stop JFK’s Assassination?
Samantha StutsmanJanuary 14, 2026 at 9:00 AM
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James Franco as Jake Epping and Sarah Gadon as Sadie Dunhill in '11.22.63.' -
11.22.63, starring James Franco and Sarah Gadon, premiered on Hulu in 2016 and is now streaming on Netflix
The limited series follows Jake Epping (Franco) as he goes back in time to prevent President John F. Kennedy's assassination
11.22.63 ends with a history-altering decision
Time travel rarely plays fair in 11.22.63.
The Hulu miniseries, which premiered in 2016 and is now available on Netflix, was created by Bridget Carpenter and is based on Stephen King's novel of the same name. 11.22.63 follows high school English teacher Jake Epping (James Franco), who discovers a time portal in the back of his friend Al Templeton’s (Chris Cooper) diner that transports him to 1960.
He then takes over Al’s mission to stop the assassination of President John F. Kennedy (Christopher Phipps). Living under the alias George Amberson, Jake spends years monitoring Lee Harvey Oswald (Daniel Webber) to determine whether he acted alone, all while the past appears to actively resist being changed.
During his time in the past, Jake falls in love with Sadie Dunhill (Sarah Gadon), forcing him to weigh his newfound life against the potentially catastrophic consequences of altering history on Nov. 22, 1963.
"To me, this story’s theme is that actions have consequences. What you do matters, in every sense of that phrase," executive producer J.J. Abrams told IndieWire in February 2016. "I hope [viewers are] totally entertained, and I hope that they also go, 'Perhaps there’s a reason things happen the way they do. And we don’t always know why.' "
So, how does 11.22.63 end? Here’s everything to know about the limited series' finale, including whether Jake succeeds at stopping JFK's assassination.
Warning: 11.22.63 spoilers ahead!
How does 11.22.63 end?
Bad Robot/Warner Bros. Television/Alamy
James Franco as Jake Epping and George MacKay as Bill Turcotte in '11.22.63.'
Jake ultimately does stop Oswald on Nov. 22, 1963, successfully preventing the assassination of JFK. At first, it seems like Jake has accomplished the impossible after years of surveilling the infamous shooter.
However, when Jake returns to 2016, he discovers that saving JFK has devastated the present: The world is plagued by nuclear fallout, environmental collapse, political instability and widespread violence. Cities are ruined, society is fractured and the future is far worse than the one Jake left behind.
The experience forces Jake to confront the truth: Even well-intentioned interference can unleash irreversible consequences. Realizing he cannot “fix” history without destroying the future, Jake makes the agonizing decision to travel back one final time and reset the timeline, allowing events to unfold as they originally did — including JFK’s assassination.
By doing so, Jake sacrifices the life and love he built in the past — particularly his relationship with Sadie — choosing the greater good over his own happiness.
Does Jake kill Lee Harvey Oswald?
Atlaspix/Alamy
James Franco in '11.22.63'.
After years of observing Oswald to determine whether he truly acted alone, Jake confronts him on Nov. 22, 1963. When Oswald is moments away from assassinating JFK, Jake intervenes and fatally shoots Oswald, stopping the assassination from happening.
While Oswald’s death successfully prevents JFK’s assassination, it also triggers catastrophic ripple effects. When Jake returns to 2016, he finds a broken, near-apocalyptic world — proof that eliminating Oswald didn’t “fix” history, but instead shattered it.
Ultimately, Oswald’s death becomes the turning point that convinces Jake he cannot control time without destroying everything else. That realization leads him to reset the timeline, undoing Oswald’s death and allowing history to occur as it originally did.
Who does Jake run into in 2016?
Netflix
James Franco as Jake Epping and Leon Rippy as Harry Dunning in '11.22.63.'
As a child in the late 1950s, Harry Dunning (Leon Rippy) was brutally attacked by his father, Frank Dunning (Josh Duhamel), who went on a violent rampage. Frank murdered Harry’s mother and siblings with a hammer, leaving young Harry severely injured and permanently disabled. Harry survived the attack, but grew up with a limp and lasting emotional scars.
Decades later, Jake meets Harry in the present day. When Jake later travels back in time, he intervenes before the murders occur, killing Frank and saving Harry and his family.
After stopping Oswald and returning to 2016 at the end of 11.22.63, Jake runs into Harry. He gives a grim account of what the world became after Jake stopped Oswald and saved JFK — and it’s far worse than Jake imagined.
Harry explains that in this altered timeline, the United States spiraled into chaos. Political instability escalated into widespread violence and nuclear tensions intensified. As a result, refugee camps sprang up across the country, housing displaced families who had lost homes, jobs and loved ones amid the unrest.
Harry tells Jake that he spent time in the refugee camps with his family, where violence was common. Even though Harry hadn’t suffered trauma at the hands of his father in this timeline, the world itself inflicted a different kind of damage.
How does Jake save Sadie?
Netflix
Sarah Gadon as Sadie Dunhill in '11.22.63.'
On Nov. 22, 1963, Sadie insists on helping Jake stop Oswald, refusing to stay behind — despite the danger.
During the struggle inside the Texas School Book Depository, Sadie is shot by Oswald. The wound proves fatal, and Sadie dies in Jake’s arms. Her death becomes the ultimate price of Jake’s mission: Even though he succeeds in stopping Oswald and saving JFK, he loses the person he loves most.
After witnessing the catastrophic future created by changing history — including societal collapse and refugee camps — Jake realizes the only way to undo the damage is to reset the timeline entirely. When he travels back through the portal one final time, everything he changed in the 1960s is erased, including Oswald’s death, JFK’s survival and Sadie’s shooting.
In the restored timeline, Sadie lives, unaware of Jake or the life they shared. Years later, Jake encounters an older Sadie at an event where she's being honored as Texas Woman of the Year. She recognizes him only as a stranger who feels oddly familiar.
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
