If you think your day has been tough, tell that to Scott Gimple.

The Walking Dead showrunner is used to dealing with all kinds of reactions to shocking moments on the show, but the latest jaw-dropper which happened during the midseason finale, How Its Gotta Be has proved especially difficult.

In the final moments of Sundays episode, Carl (Chandler Riggs) revealed a zombie bite on his side. In the world of The Walking Dead, thats basically a death warrant.

Fans were crushed over the fate of the young man who grew up on the show, but perhaps not as much as Riggs himself. Following the show, The Hollywood Reporter released an interview in which he called the news of his characters death devastating for him and his family. He explained that hed just bought a house in Senoia, Georgia, near where the AMC series is filmed.

William Riggs, Chandlers father, also posted an emotional message on Facebook after the episode, saying how hard it was to watch his son get fired and adding that he didnt trust Gimple or AMC. He later deleted the message.

Before HuffPost jumped on the phone with Gimple, AMC emailed to say there would be no comment from the showrunner on Riggs fathers Facebook message. However, during our conversation, Gimple did describe how hard its been for him since Carls impending death was revealed.

Im just thinking about Chandler, and the cast and crew and all the people put together, but its tough, he said. I knew it would be tough for the people who have been following the story for so long, and its the kind of turns the story takes that are so painful.

Gimple stressed how important the next episode, ostensibly Carls last appearance as a living person, will be. The next episode is really critical to the whole story of it, to Carls story, and to how Carls story affects everyone else, he said. This is just the start of that. I really hope people see that as well. Its amazing work by Chandler and [Andrew Lincoln], Danai Gurira, and everyone else. And there is, I hope, some meaning to be drawn from it.

Gimple chatted more about how the show decided upon Carls death, whether Riggs future college plans really had anything to do with the plot twist, and where The Walking Dead is headed now.