Since it first debuted in 2005, Grey's Anatomy has captured the hearts and minds of millions
of fans thanks to the unique and interesting characters created by showrunner Shonda Rhimes.
Some characters have stuck around for the long haul, but others vanished overnight.
Here's a look at the truth about why these stars left Grey's Anatomy.
Melissa George wanted to go
Melissa George joined the cast of Grey's Anatomy partway through Season 5 as Dr. Sadie Harris,
Meredith's once close friend who winds up leaving after it's discovered she cheated
to get into the surgical program.
George was initially signed on for an 8 to 11 episode arc that could have potentially
grown into a series regular position.
But she told Entertainment Weekly that she just didn't feel it, saying, quote, "it was
my choice," and that she, quote, "wanted to do something else."
A source from ABC suggested it was a bit more complicated than that, though, as the character
wasn't very likeable, despite George's excellent performance.
There were no hard feelings, though.
"Melissa's arc came to a natural end.
Everyone at the show adores her.
We're genuinely sad to see her go."
Loretta Devine had other projects
Loretta Devine won an Emmy for her portrayal of Dr. Webber's wife Adele, who succumbed
to Alzheimer's in Season 9.
For the most part, it felt as though Adele's arc had reached its finale by the time she
left the show, but that doesn't mean her storyline wasn't surprising for those involved.
Devine told Entertainment Weekly in 2012 that it took a minute to get used to the idea,
saying,
"I was like, God, how old am I?
I'm not old enough for this!
You feel like, couldn't they wait another 10 or 20 years before I'm playing a person
with Alzheimer's?"
When she left Grey's, Devine was in the midst of a number of other projects including The
Client List, so she kept busy.
But she later told Wetpaint that she loved her time on Grey's.
"I'm just so proud of the character, and I'm so happy to be on a show that's a hit.
It's so hard to stay current in this business or to stay in the business, period."
All these type of things were always going on on Grey's Anatomy where the most beautiful
moments were also some of the most devastating moments."
Jeffrey Dean Morgan begged to stay
Jeffrey Dean Morgan's character, heart-transplant-needing-patient-turned-fiancé Denny Duquette, was always going to die.
Morgan told the Los Angeles Times in 2006 that he knew about his character's eventual
fate before ever going in to audition.
But that didn't keep him from literally begging Rhimes to keep him alive, saying, quote, "Please,
please, just let me live."
Even though he presented several possible ways to survive, Rhimes wouldn't hear it.
When it came time to shoot his final scene, Morgan said he was heartbroken.
"It was a grim day, let me tell you.
A dark, grim day.
I'm still not over it.
It broke my heart to leave that show."
Jeff Perry's exit was Scandalous
Thatcher Grey, father to both Meredith and Lexie, had always been a character that was
in and out of the series.
In fact, between 2006 and 2011, actor Jeff Perry only appeared on Grey's Anatomy 14 times.
So when Perry was cast as Cyrus Beene in Rhimes' ABC series Scandal in 2012, having Thatcher
take an extended hiatus never really felt out of the ordinary.
Perry returned to Grey's Anatomy for one final episode in 2019.
He told People he felt like his character was finally getting closure.
"Actors are weird creatures.
Unlike more sane humans, we seem to enjoy going into the territory that is shaky and
most vulnerable.
…So, I was really excited by the thought to get to the unresolved."
Scott Foley was just visiting
Scott Foley had only a brief guest run that started during the seventh season of Grey's
Anatomy.
He played Henry Burton, a patient who didn't have the insurance necessary to receive treatment.
His character died after 15 episodes on the show, but not before he married Teddy.
Like Perry, Foley went on to co-star in Scandal.
In a 2014 Reddit AMA, he revealed that he found his Scandal role more fulfilling because
he always knew his character on Grey's was going to die.
"I loved my time on Grey's but I was just a guest there, and it makes things a bit more
difficult when you're not a permanent fixture on a television show."
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