Which ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Star(s) Will Leave Next?
The Season 22 finale of Grey’s Anatomy continued the show’s longstanding tradition of saying goodbye to key characters, as Owen Hunt (Kevin McKidd) and Teddy Altman (Kim Raver) left Grey-Sloan Memorial Hospital, seemingly for good.
Since the beginning, very few characters have been considered “safe” on Grey’s — only Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo), Richard Webber (James Pickens Jr.), and Miranda Bailey (Chandra Wilson) remain of the first season’s cast. The show has killed off some of its biggest names, saw others take leave of the hospital indefinitely, and otherwise cut ties with a ton of regular stars. Chances are, then, there are more exits still to come.
So, who’s next on the chopping block? Here, we’re breaking down the current line-up’s chances of getting the axe next in Grey’s Anatomy Season 23.
Benson "Blue" Kwan
Even Harry Shum Jr. doesn’t know if his character is coming back to Grey-Sloan again, after Webber furiously fired Blue for giving a patient experimental treatment against FDA orders. We’ve seen Richard fire people and rehire them in the past, so it’s not impossible, but there’s not much going on with Kwan in general anymore, so the character does slide right out of the picture without much of a difference.
Amelia Shepherd
Amelia’s (Caterina Scorsone) time on Season 22 was greatly reduced, reportedly due to budget cuts, but when she came back from her break, she had an intriguing love connection with Toni Wright (Jen Landon). The finale left their future unclear, though, and with Meredith spending most of her time in Boston these days, Amelia’s storyline might be running low on fresh directions.
Jo Wilson
Season 22 was a difficult one for Jo (Camilla Luddington) for multiple reasons. Her husband, Link (Chris Carmack), narrowly survived the explosion that started the season, and then she had a major scare when her heart failed during pregnancy, resulting in cardiac surgery and a C-section for the twins. Now that she has four kids and has been through so much trauma, she’s questioning whether she wants to do medicine anymore at all. Could she take off to find her next new passion?
Atticus "Link" Lincoln
If Jo goes, chances are, Link would follow. But could he also have reason to leave on his own? The finale saw him taking pain pills for residual pain from his injuries, so that could have an impact on his future as a surgeon. Maybe he’ll need to return to duty as a pro team doctor sooner than later…
Jules Millen
They’re the hottest couple on the block right now, so there’s almost no chance Jules Millin (Adelaide Kane) and Winston Ndugu (Anthony Hill) are going anywhere next season…. unless the show wants to really surprise us with another Lexie Grey (Chyler Leigh) and Mark Sloan (Eric Dane)-style tragedy whammy, that is.
Winston Ndugu
See above.
Nick Marsh
We honestly thought Nick (Scott Speedman) was in mortal danger in the Season 22 finale, but since he came through there, he’s probably safe. We just might not see him very often with R.J. Decker on deck for a second season.
Simone Griffith
Our girl Simone (Alexis Floyd) has some deciding to do, after hooking up — again — with Lucas Adams (Niko Terho), despite dating Wes Bryant (Trevor Jackson). Plus, there are hints that she might be facing a pregnancy by one of them. With so much juicy drama in play right now, expect Simone to stick around to figure things out.
Lucas Adams
The question of which Shepherd sister is Lucas’ mom is still looming large for fans, so we expect him to be around at least long enough to answer that … and possibly deal with whatever’s next for Simone.
Wes Bryant
Charming as he is, it seems pretty unlikely that Wes is the endgame for Simone, given all of her history (and recent hookup) with Lucas. We could see Wes being sidelined from that situation and deciding to go his own way somewhere else.
Ben Warren
Ben (Jason George) just returned to Grey-Sloan after his stint as a firefighter, so it’d be pretty whiplash-inducing if he made yet another career change. He also expressed support for Miranda possibly going back to school, so someone needs to keep the paychecks coming … even if the Trailblazer is still paying dividends for their family.
Catherine Fox
We might not see her much, but don’t count on Catherine Fox (Debbie Allen) to disappear altogether. As one of the series’ behind-the-scenes bosses, the actress portraying her has a lot of say-so about the character’s future.
Miranda Bailey
Miranda may be considering a new school adventure that could cost her some hospital time, but we don’t expect to see her take leave of Grey’s for good. It’d be a major shakeup, sure, but possibly one the show couldn’t recover from. And the fact that the actress is also one of the show’s most prolific directors gives this character extra plot armor.
Richard Webber
Richard Webber has been talking about retiring from Grey-Sloan quite literally since the beginning of the show, so it’s hard to take that possibility seriously. His recent brush with cancer — which reflected the actor’s own experience with it — could cause him to make some changes… we’re just not betting on it.
Meredith Grey
Some Grey’s Anatomy fans are convinced that the series finale for the show will see Meredith grappling with Alzheimer’s, just like her mother did, but as of last check-in, she’s still fit as a fiddle. The character is just part-time these days, but we don’t see her going anywhere — except to Boston — until the series is truly nearing its end.
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Here's a radical idea. How about they all leave for better jobs. 22 seasons is a good run. Every show has an expiration date and this one is about to expire soon.
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