Hundreds of “The Chosen” fans formed snaking lines that wrapped around the Charlotte Convention Center early Friday and Saturday mornings. Fans of the mega-popular biblical drama turned out early, eager to catch every event on the convention’s packed schedule.
Most fans wore teal “The Chosen” merchandise and carried totes handed out earlier in the four-day convention. Other stood out in biblical-era clothing, inspired by costumes worn in the series — a striking contrast to the superhero and mythological creature costumes often seen at comic conventions.
In line, the crowd buzzed with excitement as fans connected over their faith walks, love of the series and excitement for upcoming activities on the schedule. A few even handed out their own souvenirs, such as miniature Jesus figurines and homemade pins.
Attendees radiated with joy and camaraderie, sharing words of faith and laughter, many of whom have traveled across the U.S. and around the world to participate in the event.
This edition of ChosenCon was held in Charlotte, North Carolina, giving attendees access to exclusive sneak peeks, special announcements, meet and greets with cast and a variety of interactive experiences. More than 5,500 fans attended the convention.
The inaugural ChosenCon in Dallas, Texas, in 2023 drew over 3,500 fans, and the following year’s event in Orlando, Florida, grew to welcome 5,000 attendees.
“This is an opportunity for us to have a mutual thank you,” Dallas Jenkins, the series creator and director, told the Deseret News in an interview at ChosenCon on Friday. “When you have thousands of people telling you how much the show has impacted them, and we have a chance to thank them for their role in it — it’s really a beautiful thing.”
Once inside the convention center, attendees paused to snap photos of costume and set displays from the series, as well as giant banners showcasing images of the biblical characters.
The crowd then shuffled to the lower level of the center, spending most of the day alternating between the main stage — featuring insider panels, Q&As and exclusive sneak peeks — and the expo hall, which offered gifts and interactive experiences.
Dozens of “The Chosen” cast, crew and other figures from the faith-based media scene attended the event, speaking to crowds, and, in some cases, interacting one-on-one with fans — including Jenkins, Jonathan Roumie, Elizabeth Tabish, Noah James, Paras Patel, Derral Eves, Jon Gunn and Bear Grylls.
Fans also took time for stops at early morning prayer rooms, book signings, early screenings of unreleased content and, for some guests, meet and greets and viewing cast members speak with the press on the teal carpet.
“Thank you for joining us live here at ChosenCon,” Jenkins told an audience of thousands on Friday evening. “This is a family ... and this is an interesting room, and the reason is, I have been in rooms like this before, talking about ‘The Chosen’ and they weren’t always this full.”
Not your typical convention
In many ways, ChosenCon resembles many other fan conventions, with large crowds, special guests, photo opportunities, interactive displays and plenty of moments for fans to connect.
What sets ChosenCon apart is that the entire convention is dedicated to a single show, rather than a mix of films, books and series — uniting fans in a shared celebration of their love of “The Chosen” and their faith.
Fans at the convention ranged from elementary-aged kids to octogenarians. Nearly all wore T-shirts, sweatshirts or hats featuring slogans such as “Binge Jesus,” “People Must Know” or “Not What We Were,” while a smaller crowd dons biblical-era costumes.
Faith is at the heart of ChosenCon. Nearly every panel, activity and interaction centers on the same faith-based connection among attendees. Prayer rooms, devotionals and even church-style sermons are woven into the convention’s schedule, creating an experience that is as much about faith as it is about the series.
When Jackie Hill Perry, bestselling author and Christian influencer, opened the convention Friday morning, she told the audience she preferred to preach rather than make small talk — prompting the crowd to erupt in passionate “Amens.”
After delivering a message on surrendering imperfections to Jesus to a crowd of thousands, Perry asked the audience if she could pray for them, drawing an enthusiastic response.
Perry’s faith-centered presentation is typical at ChosenCon, where fans encourage and expect these types of experiences.
Near the end of Friday night, Jenkins reminded fans what this entire phenomenon is about — sharing the story of Jesus with the world — and urged the crowd to share the series with others.
Fans erupted.
An ‘energizing’ event for the cast
ChosenCon gives “The Chosen” cast the opportunity to engage with a slice of their fan base and thank them for their ongoing support — an experience several cast members described as energizing.
Much of the biblical drama is still crowdfunded, meaning the show is largely financed by fans who contribute because they support its mission. Supporters have donated nearly $28 million to fund the seventh and final season of the series, per The Come and See Foundation.
“I get here and I get energy, and I am sustained and I’m fulfilled,” George H. Xanthis, the actor who plays John on “The Chosen,” told the Deseret News at ChosenCon on Friday.
“In between filming, we come up for a breath, and the fans are our oxygen, and these events are our oxygen,” Xanthis continued. “I just did the meet and greets yesterday for a couple of hours, and I’m so energized by that. I love it.”
Jenkins shared a similar sentiment, describing the event a “battery recharge” and a morale boost that reminds him why the hard work of creating the series is worthwhile. “It’s changing people’s lives,” he said.
“The Chosen” cast spends the majority of their time at the conventions interacting with fans through meet and greets, panels and Q&A sessions.
“I love ChosenCon,” Austin Reed Alleman, the actor who plays Nathanael, told the Deseret News. “It’s been really, really wonderful. ... I will be there anytime they want to do more. I’ll be there. It’s great to meet the fans. The fans are amazing. It’s great to talk about the show, be up on stage and say hello to people. I just love it. I never get tired of it.”
Reveal Jesus
Reveal Jesus, a new initiative from The Come and See Foundation — the organization which helps fund and translate “The Chosen” — was also teased at ChosenCon.
At a demonstration in the expo hall, the organization presented a seven-minute clip highlighting the global reach of the biblical drama and encouraged viewers to help advance its mission of revealing Jesus to 1 billion people worldwide.
After the video, which highlighted testimonials from viewers whose lives have been transformed by the series, several members of the audience paused to wipe away tears.
As viewers left the demonstration, they received handouts including scannable wristbands and character cards with QR codes, each linking to “The Chosen” app.
In addition to spreading the mission into fans’ hands, The Come and See Foundation took a moment during the convention to celebrate major milestones toward its mission.
For the second time, “The Chosen” was recognized by Guinness World Records as the most-translated season of a streaming series in history. The feat comes shortly after the series received the same record in September for translations in 86 languages.
The first season of “The Chosen” is now available in 125 languages.
Michael Empric, the official adjudicator and spokesperson for Guinness World Records, presented the award for the world record to “The Chosen” cast at ChosenCon on Friday, before thousands of attendees at the event.
“When we see numbers like this, they are able to provide a measuring stick for what’s happening, and we want to celebrate it,” Jenkins told the audience. “All those languages mean lives changed. And so we don’t want to stop at 125.”
While accepting the award, “The Chosen” team recognized the support given to the Come and See Foundation through donations, prayer and sharing the series — all of which is required to make the translation process possible.
The translation team behind “The Chosen” plans to maintain its current pace and aims to make every translation available in a dubbed version, so viewers can hear the series in their own language, Wendi Lord, the lead of the translation team at Come and See, told the Deseret News at ChosenCon.
“We’re all about appealing to each person,” Lord said. “We reach people individually, day by day, and we see transformation in their personal lives and their faith walk because of the work we are doing.”
Announcements and exclusive content
Jenkins shared an updated release timeline for Season 6 of “The Chosen” along with projections for several spinoff projects during ChosenCon on Friday — an announcement met with thunderous applause from fans.
Official release dates for upcoming projects will be announced “very soon,” Jenkins promised a crowd of thousands at the event, before sharing a projected timeline for several projects in “The Chosen” universe.
Here is the projected release timeline Jenkins unveiled exclusively at ChosenCon.
Coming in 2026-2027
- “The Chosen in the Wild with Bear Grylls”: summer/fall 2026
- “The Chosen” Season 6: fall 2026
- “The Chosen” Season 6 finale: spring 2027
Additional upcoming projects
- “Joseph of Egypt”: coming soon
- “The Chosen” Season 7: coming soon
- “Book of Moses”: coming soon
- “The Way of the Chosen”
Jenkins confirmed the first six episodes of “The Chosen” Season 6 will premiere exclusively on Prime Video in fall 2026, followed by the global theatrical release of the season finale in spring 2027.
“The finale of Season 6 is essentially a super sized episode that is going to be released as the theatrical global event all over the world,” Jenkins said.
“The whole season is supersized,” he added. “And so it just can take time. ... I just ask for your continued grace and patience. It will be worth it.”
Following the announcement, Jenkins shared unreleased sneak peeks and trailers for “The Chosen” Season 6 and “The Chosen in the Wild with Bear Grylls.” The room erupted with cheers after each clip played.