(Spoiler Alert)
Being only one of three original cast members from season one, Ellen Pompeo has decided to leave Grey’s Anatomy after 19 seasons. Pompeo announced her role would be severely reduced in the newest season; sadly, this will begin the transition away from her character, Meredith Grey, who was the heart of the show.
To finalize her goodbye, the fall finale destroyed 19 seasons’ worth of memories by burning down the iconic house where every character lived in at some point. The only thing that was saved was Meredith and Derek’s blue post-it note—thankfully.
Pompeo hinted at leaving the show during season 17 when her contract was expiring and said, “I don’t know that this is the last year? But it could very well could be.” Also, during interviews and on her podcast, Tell Me, Pompeo mentioned how she never planned to stay on a medical drama for this long and that she’s been doing it for a little too long now.
During season 18, she said how it is Meredith’s time to leave. She went on to say she should be allowed to leave because Meredith’s earned the right to leave, everyone else has left, and she’s gone beyond what was expected of her.
Of course, Pompeo leaving as a regular doesn’t mean we will never see her again. Pompeo has definitely earned the right to leave and do what she wants with her career. We all know everyone else has with the exception of Chandra Wilson (Dr. Miranda Bailey) and James Pickens Jr. (Dr. Richard Webber) who’s been with Pompeo since 2005. Nonetheless, being the character that the show inevitably revolved around, saying goodbye to Meredith is extremely difficult. After all, the show and the hospital in the show are named after her.
To add to this goodbye, Pompeo posted on Instagram thanking everyone who has been involved in her Grey’s Anatomy journey.
With this goodbye, the lovely Patrick Dempsey, who played Meredith’s husband on Grey’s Anatomy, talked on Jimmy Kimmel Live! with Kimmel about Pompeo’s exit. He joked about what she could have in her house after 19 seasons, hinting at how actors take things from the set.
Pompeo leaving is such a big deal that many current and past cast members commented on her departure with kind words. The show’s creator, Shonda Rhimes, made an Instagram post about the departure saying, it is not “a goodbye, it’s a see ya later!” and thanked Pompeo for playing Meredith.
Thankfully, it isn’t a real goodbye to Meredith. We will still get glimpses of her through Pompeo’s iconic Instagram bio that says: “not a real doctor, but a really good fake one.” Despite her goodbye to Grey’s Anatomy, hopefully, we won’t also need to say goodbye to this heartfelt bio.
If you’re still a Grey’s Anatomy fan or used to be, this major announcement will most likely make you feel like everything is changing and that the show can’t continue without her. Somehow, the show’s writers will need to find a way to continue without her. This goodbye really makes it feel like an end of an era.