Is Justin Chambers Returning to ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ in Season 19? 

How Will Grey's Anatomy Write Out Alex Theories
ABC/Mike Rosenthal

Could another familiar face be coming back to Grey’s Anatomy in the second half of its 19th season? Fans are starting to speculate after a former cast member shared a photo on Instagram.

Justin Chambers, who starred as Dr. Alex Karev starting with the pilot and exited in Season 16, sparked speculation that we could see him again with a photo of a cup of coffee and a sleeve featuring Chandra Wilson (Dr. Miranda Bailey), Ellen Pompeo (Dr. Meredith Grey), and James Pickens Jr. (Dr. Richard Webber), the three original stars still on the show. (Pompeo is only in a limited number of episodes this season, with the midseason premiere airing on February 23 a farewell, though she will be back in the finale).

“A fresh cup of Greys,” he wrote in the caption. Check out the post below.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Justin Chambers (@officialjustinchambers)

News of Chambers’ exit came in January 2020, with it then being revealed that he’d already filmed his last appearance, for a November 2019 episode. It had then been said Alex had returned home to take care of his mother. But it wasn’t until the March 5, 2020 episode that he was officially written out, with Alex sending letters to his wife Jo (Camilla Luddington), Bailey, Meredith, and Richard. As was revealed, he reunited with his ex-wife, Izzie, and they had five-year-old twins!

If Chambers does return, what could bring him back? Could he be appearing as part of Meredith’s farewell? Could he return after and be one way for Grey’s to fill the hole left by her absence? Are he and Izzie still together, or might he complicate things for Jo (whose love life is already messy)?

There’s also the question of whether he could be back for multiple episodes, perhaps helping out at the hospital as needed, even requiring their resources for something, or a combination of both. Grey’s has already seen other returns this season, including Jesse Williams as Dr. Jackson Avery (setting up Meredith’s exit), Kate Walsh as Dr. Addison Montgomery, and Greg Germann as Dr. Tom Koracick.

Grey’s Anatomy, Midseason Premiere, Thursday, February 23, 9/8c, ABC