Few shows can match the jaw-dropping sheer volume of Grey’s Anatomy .
Twenty years of role change has brought us new players, and we can’t live without them.
But along the way, we also had to say goodbye to dozens of fan favorites.
Sometimes, those goodbyes are predictable.
While her death was sad, no one expected Ellis Gray’s storyline on “The Anatomy” to be particularly long.
She was introduced as an Alzheimer’s patient in an assisted living facility, so fans expected her impending death from day one.
It didn’t surprise anyone when Addison reflected on her life and decided to start over in Los Angeles.
She wasn’t from Seattle, her husband chose to live with another woman, and she had an established community in California.
Plus, her departure brought us private practice, so who can complain?
However, there are some characters on Grey’s Anatomy who absolutely shocked us when they were written.
From Alex Karev’s sudden disappearance to Derek Shepherd’s avoidable death, fans aren’t always ready to say goodbye.
Even when actors announce their departures in advance, their final scenes are sometimes hard to swallow.
Let’s be honest, we’re not over some of them yet, so let’s talk about some of the most unexpected Grey’s Anatomy exits yet.
George O’Malley (played by TR Knight)
It’s hard to even talk about this without getting emotional.
George was a fan-favorite and his passing comes as a shock to us.
He acted like a hero, sacrificing his life to save a stranger, but that didn’t make it any easier.
TR Knight says communication issues with the show’s creators ultimately led to his decision to leave Grey’s Anatomy.
Sarah Ramirez as Carly Torres
While their decision to leave appears to be based on a desire to pursue other opportunities, Sara Ramirez’s Carly Torres is sorely missed on Grey’s Anatomy .
Kelly left the show as she followed her girlfriend across the country, leaving fans sad to say goodbye.
Since her debut on Grey’s Anatomy Season 2 Episode 19, Kelly has captured the hearts of fans as she navigates love, sex, parenthood and career.
Sara Ramirez has left open the possibility of returning to the series, so we’ll keep our fingers crossed that we don’t see the last of Callie Torres.
Katherine Heigl as Izzy Stevens
Even though Izzy Stevens hasn’t appeared on Grey’s Anatomy since season six, fans still have mixed feelings about her.
Online, you can find all sorts of opinions on the character, from fascination to hatred, so it’s clear she’s a polarizing figure.
Izzy had a close brush with death from stage 4 cancer, but his passing came as a surprise.
Rumors have been circulating for years as to why Katherine Heigl left the show, with some sources suggesting she and Shonda Rhimes had insurmountable personal issues.
Ultimately, Heigl cited mental health and family as the main reasons for her departure.
In recent years, she has reunited with her former cast members, giving fans a touch of nostalgia.
Derek Shepherd (Patrick Dempsey)
Here’s the thing about McDreamy: I never liked him, but I’m glad he’s dead.
Now that my hot take is out of the way, his death had quite the impact on Grey’s fans.
After years of on-and-off activity with Meredith, several kids, and some major fights, it seems like Meredith has finally worked through their issues and is ready for a happy ending.
Enter: a giant transfer truck, an incompetent surgeon, and a pulled plug.
If gossip is to be believed, Dempsey was difficult to work with, causing problems between him and several others on the set.
But that didn’t stop Derek from returning to Meredith’s coma dream in Grey’s Anatomy Season 17, giving her the closure and motivation she needed to wake up.
Alex Karev (played by Justin Chambers)
It really hurts now.
Not only did the actors leave, the characters had to be written. It turned out to be how The writers cut Karev from the show.
Alex goes through serious character growth, and when he finally finds Joe and they’re happy, he throws it all away.
for Izzy? (Yes, I know there were kids involved, but it’s still ridiculous.)
It’s fine that Chambers wanted to explore different acting opportunities, but it wouldn’t be as insulting if they killed him off.
Ever since he dumped Joe, he was dead to me anyway.
Preston Burke (played by Isaiah Washington)
The incident was also shocking, especially since Burke disappeared after leaving Christina at the wedding.
Behind the scenes, Isaiah Washington chose to use a homophobic slur against TR Knight, leading to his firing.
It was deserved punishment, but the show brought him back in Grey’s Anatomy Season 10 Episode 22 to help send off Christina Young.
Honestly, we can’t say we miss this character.
Cristina Yang as: Sandra Oh
On the other hand, we miss Christina Young terribly.
Sandra Oh brought the character to life and nothing has been the same since she left.
We’re thankful that her exit from Grey’s Anatomy was at least a positive outcome and that her character wasn’t written off in a negative way.
By all accounts, Wu leaves on good terms and looking to expand her career in exciting ways.
That’s exactly what she did. With hits like Killing Eve , Wu has proven her range exceeds our expectations.
Arizona Robbins (Jessica Capshaw)
The cheerful, roller-skating foot surgeon was a fan favorite, but that wasn’t enough to keep her on the show.
When Grey’s Anatomy chose to move to New York to be closer to Carly and Sofia, Robbins said goodbye.
Thankfully, they’ve occasionally left the door open for Arizona to return, which happened in Grey’s Anatomy Season 20 Episode 4.
Capshaw and “Grey’s Anatomy” showrunner Krista Vernoff cited creative reasons for Robbins’ departure.
Chyler Lee plays Lexie Gray
Lexie is another character that fans can’t let go of.
Leigh wanted to have more free time to focus on her family, so she chose not to return to the show after her contract ended.
Unfortunately, that means we got to watch her die in one of the most tragic storylines on Grey’s Anatomy .
Grey’s fans can’t seem to stand the heartbreak.
Mark Sloan (played by Eric Dean)
When Lexi passed away, Mark followed closely behind.
Eric Dane recently told Armchair Expert that his departure was primarily for financial reasons, with ABC choosing to let him go rather than continue to pay his high salary.
But watching Mark die is one of the hardest things Grey’s fans have ever had to endure, and it’s one of those episodes we still can’t stop crying from.
While it’s hard for Mark to face life without Lexi, we hope there is a way for him to move on.
Andrew DeLuca (Giacomo Gianniotti)
Everyone loved Andrew; it was impossible not to.
He’s had several big storylines on the show and was instrumental in Grey’s Anatomy’s representation of mental health.
But all good things must come to an end, and DeLuca was killed to advance the show’s plot and allow the human trafficking issue to be addressed.
Like George O’Malley, DeLuca is a hero and we will never forget him.
Maggie Pierce (played by Kelly Murray)
Maggie Pierce is a super divisive character.
When Kelly McCreary left the show to pursue other career opportunities, her character similarly did the same thing as the cast.
She returned briefly to give her ex-husband Winston a break, but it looks like we may have seen the last of Dr. Pierce.
Personally, I loved Maggie, but I didn’t want to say goodbye.
Jerryca Hinton as Stephanie Edwards
Another example of an actor choosing to move on to new creative projects is Jerrika Hinton’s exit from Grey’s Anatomy, which caused us to say goodbye to Stephanie Edwards.
Stephanie is a great character and fans generally love her, especially after seeing her get dumped by Jackson.
When Stephanie narrowly survives an explosion, she decides she’s not cut out to be a doctor.
Since she wasn’t killed, there’s always a chance she could come back. Hell, even death can’t stop some of the characters on Grey’s Anatomy from popping up every now and then.
Now the real question is: will we be able to say goodbye to Weber, or will the poor man have to work himself to death?
If we missed your favorite departed Grey’s character, let us know in the comments!
Don’t forget to tune in to “Grey’s Anatomy” every Thursday at 10/9c on ABC.
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