How Every Major ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Character Got Written Off the Show
Some died tragically, others simply left Seattle.
Grey’s Anatomy creator and executive producer Shonda Rhimes is known for writing off her main characters. She even killed off Derek Shepherd (Patrick Dempsey)—the McDreamy half of the show’s central couple—amid reports he was causing problems on set. “It wasn’t easy or fun, it is never easy or fun,” Rhimes once said of the decision. But she did what had to be done (and showrunner Krista Vernoff followed suit).
As the long-running series heads into its Season 19 finale (and perhaps says goodbye to another beloved cast member), let’s take a look at how every major Grey’s character got booted from Seattle Grace/Grey Sloan Memorial.
How every major Grey’s Anatomy character got written off the show
Preston Burke (Isaiah Washington) — Season 3
Preston Burke left Grey’s at the end of Season 3, abandoning Cristina Yang (Sandra Oh) at the altar to seemingly disappear into thin air.
At the time, Isaiah Washington was mired in controversy after numerous reports claimed he called co-star T.R. Knight a homophobic slur. (Knight publicly came out as gay in People magazine shortly after that story broke.)
In an apparent effort to deny the reports, Washington repeated the slur in a backstage interview at the Golden Globe Awards. He said in a statement after the fact, “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.”
Speaking with Larry King after his firing, Washington admitted to using the slur during a heated fight with co-star Patrick Dempsey, but said his comment wasn’t made in reference to or aimed at Knight. That altercation was discussed in the 2021 book How to Save a Life: The Inside Story of Grey’s Anatomy by Lynette Rice. Her reporting suggests the slur was made in reference to Knight but directed at Dempsey.
Washington returned to Grey’s Anatomy in Season 10 to be part of Oh’s farewell storyline. His character invites Cristina to join him at a cardiothoracic research hospital in Switzerland, and she decides to go.
Addison Montgomery (Kate Walsh) — Season 3
Addison Montgomery left Seattle to work at Seaside Health & Wellness Center in Los Angeles for ABC’s spinoff series Private Practice, which ran for six seasons. Kate Walsh still popped up on Grey’s for the occasional crossover episode until Private Practice ended in 2013; she then started appearing again on Grey’s exclusively starting in Season 18 (2021).
Erica Hahn (Brooke Smith) — Season 5
Just after Dr. Erica Hahn started a relationship with Callie (Sara Ramirez), Brooke Smith was given the ax via a storyline that sees her character simply walking away from Seattle Grace. Smith told Entertainment Weekly, “it was the last thing I expected.”
“My final scene is just me heading to my car,” she said. “I honestly don’t know what happens in the next episode.”
As for why she was given such an abrupt exit, she said, “I don’t think I’m ever really going to know…I was really, really shocked. I was floored when they told me.”
There was some suggestion that Smith was fired because of her storyline, but Rhimes denied that in a statement to EW. “Brooke Smith was obviously not fired for playing a lesbian,” she said. “Unfortunately, we did not find that the magic and chemistry with Brooke’s character would sustain in the long run.”
George O’Malley (T.R. Knight) – Season 6
George O’Malley, a sweet, mostly selfless friend to all, was one of the original interns at the hospital formerly known as Seattle Grace. Fans were devastated by his gruesome death in Season 6, when he was dragged under a bus to the point of being unrecognizable (literally—his colleagues had no idea who they were trying to save).
The storyline produced one of the most emotional moments on the show, when George traced the numbers 007—his nickname—onto Meredith Grey’s hand, prompting her to realize that her John Doe was, in fact, George.
Knight’s exit from the show came with plenty of real-life drama. He asked to leave the series after a drastic reduction in his character’s screen-time in Season 5, telling Entertainment Weekly that there was a “breakdown of communication” between himself and show creator/executive producer Shonda Rhimes that led him to throw in the towel rather than ask her what was going on with his character’s arc.
“My five-year experience proved to me that I could not trust any answer that was given [about George],” he said. “And with respect, I’m going to leave it at that.”
Izzie Stephens (Katherine Heigl) — Season 6
Izzie Stephens, another Seattle Grace OG, left the show in Season 6. The character wasn’t killed off, but instead survived cancer, got a new job and asked her husband, Alex Karev (Justin Chambers), for a divorce.
Behind the scenes, Heigl caused quite the stir in 2008, when she withdrew her name from Emmy consideration for her role on the show, stating, “[I] did not feel that I was given the material this season to warrant an Emmy nomination.” She’s since said her comment “wasn’t very nice or fair” to the Grey’s writers.
In a 2022 interview, Heigl talked more about her decision to leave the series in 2010, saying that the “level of intensity” of the show was not healthy for her, especially after the adoption of her first child, Naleigh.