Grey's Anatomy, one of longest-running scripted primetime TV shows, has gained a reputation
for killing or writing off main characters during major episodes.
But the stories behind some actors' departures haven't always been so clear.
Here are some of the reasons why these stars left Grey's Anatomy, spoilers ahead!
For the first few seasons of Grey's Anatomy, actor Isaiah Washington played Dr. Preston
Burke, a central figure of the show.
But in 2006, rumors began to circulate that Washington had caused some trouble behind
the scenes.
During an argument with co-star Patrick Dempsey, Washington reportedly used a homophobic slur.
Not long afterwards, his co-star T.R.
Knight came out as gay to People magazine, causing Washington to face even more backlash.
Washington first denied using the slur, but according to Today, he eventually released
a statement apologizing for his actions, saying,
"I apologize to T.R., my colleagues, the fans of the show, and especially the lesbian and
gay community for using a word that is unacceptable in any context or circumstance."
His apology didn't keep him on the show, though.
In June 2007, ABC confirmed that Washington would not return for the next season.
Following his dismissal, Washington said in a statement,
"I'm mad as hell, and I'm not going to take it anymore."
Kate Walsh was Grey's Anatomy's second major character to leave, but the circumstances
of her exit were much less controversial.
"And you must be the woman who's been screwing my husband."
In 2007, ABC announced that they would be producing a Grey's spin-off series called
Private Practice, which would star Walsh in a leading role, as reported by the New York
Times.
Although she was going to keep her Addison Montgomery character from Grey's, Walsh would
have to leave the series to star in the new show.
Walsh later told TV Guide that, when Grey's Anatomy creator Shonda Rhimes approached her
about the new series,
"It totally felt like the right thing."
In an interview with Parade in 2016, she explained that she knew her time on Grey's was up, admitting,
"I felt like my tenure sort of was done at the hospital in terms of, I'd delivered lots
of babies, I sort of, you know, tried to save my marriage, it failed.
I'd slept with numerous people at the hospital.
I was like, 'What else can I do?'
other than start like making lunch for everybody."
T.R.
Knight, who played the beloved character George O'Malley, left the show in 2009.
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Knight explained that he made the decision
to leave after watching his character pretty much disappear from the show, snagging a lot
less screen time.
Due to what he called a, quote, "breakdown of communication" over time between himself
and Shonda Rhimes, he didn't speak up.
Instead, he just asked to leave.
He explained,
"My five-year experience proved to me that I could not trust any answer that was given
[about George].
And with respect, I'm going to leave it at that."
It wasn't the first time Rhimes and Knight seemed to disagree.
Regarding Isaiah Washington's 2006 scandal, Knight hinted that Rhimes may not have wanted
him to publicly come out at the time, saying,
"I think she was concerned about having my statement come out so close to the [initial]
event."
Katherine Heigl's departure from the show was another messy situation.
In 2007, she won an Emmy award for her role as Izzie Stevens, but, after the next season
of the show, she refused to submit her name for Emmy consideration, saying that she didn't
think she was, quote, "given the material this season to warrant an Emmy nomination,"
as reported by the New York Times.
She withdrew her name, in her words, "in an effort to maintain the integrity of the academy
organization."
As could be expected, her comments reportedly angered network executives.
In March 2010, ABC confirmed that Heigl would be leaving Grey's Anatomy.
Heigl gave a statement to Entertainment Weekly, saying,
"I am done.
We just finalized our agreement.
Everyone had been working really hard to find an amicable and gracious way of letting go
and moving on.
It's sad, but it's what I wanted."
Shonda Rhimes later spoke about Heigl's behavior to Oprah Winfrey, stating,
"On some level, it stung and on some level I was not surprised."
"You weren't?"
"No.
When people show you who they are, believe them."
In a bit of an expected move, Sandra Oh left Grey's Anatomy after playing Dr. Cristina
Yang from the very beginning.
In August 2013, The Hollywood Reporter revealed that Oh would be leaving the show at the end
of season 10, a decision she made on her own.
She explained,
"Creatively, I really feel like I gave it my all, and I feel ready to let her go."
She also said that she had started thinking about leaving a year earlier, and it was something
she went to therapy for because she needed to, in her words, "emotionally let go" on
her own.
Shonda Rhimes seemed just as devastated about the decision, saying,
"One of the best days of my life as a writer happened the day Sandra Oh walked in my door
to audition and forever changed the course of Grey's Anatomy with her brilliant, nuanced
portrayal of Cristina Yang."
Perhaps the most shocking character departure in the show's history was Patrick Dempsey's
Dr. Derek "McDreamy" Shepherd, who was killed off after ten years on the show.
Fans were devastated at how he left the series, leading Shonda Rhimes to eventually speak
out about it at the 2015 Summer TCA press tour.
As reported by E! News, she said that she stood by her decision to kill Shepherd, adding,
"The decision to have the character die the way that he did was not a difficult one in
the sense of, 'What were the options?'"
In an interview with The I Paper, Dempsey explained that he felt it was time to move
on from Grey's Anatomy, saying,
"Look, 10 years is a long time to be on any show.
It's very hard to keep the storylines intriguing, especially on a network show with 25 episodes
a year.
So for me, it was time to go."
"Grey's Anatomy was a remarkable ride, and without that success I probably wouldn't be
here today talking to you."
At the end of season eight, fans were shocked when Chyler Leigh's character, Lexie Grey,
was killed off the show.
But in a statement given to E! News, Leigh revealed that she was the one who decided
to leave, although she didn't exactly explain why.
She only said,
"I am very lucky to have worked with this amazing cast and crew for five seasons.
My experience on Grey's Anatomy is something that I will treasure for the rest of my life."
Shonda Rhimes tweeted about Leigh leaving, saying in part,
"This was not an easy decision.
But it was a decision that Chyler and I came to together.
We had a lot of thoughtful discussion about it, and ultimately we both decided this was
the right time for her character's journey to end."
Another cast member who made the decision to leave the show was Kim Raver, who played
Teddy Altman.
Raver left the show during the season eight finale, except her character was not killed
off, she was fired from the hospital so that she would accept a position at a military
hospital.
Although Raver didn't speak about leaving the show, Shonda Rhimes tweeted an explanation
after the shocking episode aired, saying that Raver's series option was up, and she was
giving her character, quote, "a much-needed vacation."
She added,
"I like to imagine that Teddy is still out there in the Grey's Anatomy universe, running
Army Medical Command and building a new life."
As it turns out, that may have been exactly what she was doing while she was gone.
Raver returned to the series as Teddy during the season 14 finale, and Deadline later announced
that Raver was upped to a series regular for season 15.
Eric Dane, who played Dr. Mark Sloan, said he was the one who made the decision to leave
the series.
He told TVLine that, while he was "extremely grateful" to the cast and crew of Grey's,
he was ready to pursue other opportunities.
Shonda Rhimes released her own statement, saying that Dane had been one of the most
beloved characters, but that they both felt it was, quote, "the right time for his storyline
to end."
Not too long afterwards, Dane landed a starring role on TNT's The Last Ship.
Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, he shared that it was a very different role than his
one in Grey's, noting,
"I loved doing Grey's Anatomy.
I would have done it until the final episode, but this was something I couldn't pass up."
In May 2016, Sara Ramirez, who played Dr. Callie Torres, announced she too would be
leaving Grey's Anatomy.
Ramirez's departure was a surprise, but sources told Variety that it was totally her decision,
and there was no bad blood behind the scenes.
In a statement, Ramirez explained that she needed time off and praised Shonda Rhimes
for creating a wonderful place to work.
She also suggested that she may come back to the series in the future.
Ramirez's decision was initially so shocking that even Rhimes didn't know the actress wanted
to leave.
Vulture reported that Rhimes said she found out Ramirez wanted off the show about three
days before the general public found out.
She revealed,
"I had a different plan going, and then Sara came and said, 'I really need to take a break.'
I was sort of lucky that we had shot the end of the season with her going to New York."
In September 2017, The Hollywood Reporter announced that Jason George, who played Dr.
Ben Warren, would be joining the Grey's Anatomy firefighter spin-off, Station 19, as a series
regular.
George told Entertainment Tonight that he got the news about the spin-off through a
phone call, saying,
"When Shonda Rhimes calls, you feel like you get called into the principal's office a little
bit, and you think, maybe I better take that call.
We talked and she ran it down for me and had me at hello."
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly in December 2017, George said he couldn't
wait to start the show because it felt like his character was starting over and doing
something new, noting that he loves that his character is, quote, "excited to pursue new
things and go up to new challenges."
Luckily for his fans, his character has already made appearances in crossover episodes, so
he may be back to Grey's frequently.
Jessica Capshaw, who played Dr. Arizona Robbins, and Sarah Drew, who played Dr. April Kepner,
exited Grey's Anatomy at the end of the series' 14th season.
According to a Deadline report, the decision was made by producers.
When rumors surfaced that Capshaw and Drew were being kicked off because of co-star Ellen
Pompeo's salary increase, showrunner Krista Vernoff tweeted that it was actually a creative
decision to have the characters leave the show.
In a statement on her Instagram page, Capshaw wrote about her character's departure, saying
in part,
"I am sad to see her go, but I am consoled by the idea that she will live on and on in
all of our consciences and imaginations."
Drew also released a statement on her Instagram account.
She wrote, in part,
"In the wake of being let go, I've been overwhelmed with gratitude, and I've felt profoundly loved.
I am so humbled and so thankful."
Check out one of our newest videos right here!
Plus, even more List videos about your favorite shows are coming soon.
Subscribe to our YouTube channel, and hit the bell so you don't miss a single one.