What Happened To These Grey's Anatomy Stars Since Leaving The Show

"Grey's Anatomy," the longest-running medical drama in primetime television history, has kept viewers captivated and on the edge of their seats since 2005, and shows no signs of slowing down. "I think maybe eight seasons ago I stopped thinking about [the ending]," series creator Shonda Rhimes told People in 2022. "There's nothing that's changed because there was nothing there to change." In 2019, star of the show Ellen Pompeo insisted she wasn't thinking about the finish line either. As she said in People, "How do you walk away from a hit? The fans will dictate when the show ends." That said, there has been talk of her character, Meredith Grey, appearing in less episodes of Season 19, which kicked off in October 2022. 

While the dramatic storylines undoubtedly keep viewers coming back year after year, there's no doubt the actors all bring something special to the operating table, too. And with Season 19 of "Grey's Anatomy" underway and the very obvious way they are giving viewers that flashback to Season 1 feel, it seems appropriate to look back over the long history of the series and all the stars who graced the show, made an impact, then went on to other things. Here's what's happened to these "Grey's Anatomy" stars after leaving the show.

One of the more heart-wrenching character exits on "Grey's Anatomy" was that of George O'Malley — aka 007 — played by T.R. Knight. Knight's portrayal of this hapless underdog, who grew to be an exceptional doctor, despite nearly killing a patient in one of his first surgeries (hence the "license to kill" nickname), captured viewers' hearts and had them rooting for George. In 2007 he was nominated for an Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series Emmy.

Unfortunately in Season 5, tragedy struck for O'Malley, who was hit by a bus. But why would writers kill off such a popular character? According to Entertainment Weekly, it was Knight's decision to leave, though there were certainly a lot of issues surrounding his departure. First, there was an incident with co-star Isaiah Washington, who was fired after reportedly directing a homophobic slur at Knight. Then, Knight grappled with his decision of when/how to publicly come out. He told the outlet that he felt like he wasn't being supported, while Rhimes maintained that wasn't the case. So, this along with Knight feeling George had reduced screen time, prompted him to leave.

Since leaving "Grey's" Knight has done both on- and off-Broadway productions and nabbed roles in "The Good Wife," "The Catch," "Genius," and "The Flight Attendant." Knight also had the opportunity to work with Ellen Pompeo again on "Grey's Anatomy" as he appeared in her dream sequence when she was fighting for her life.

It may have been seven years since Dr. Derek Shepherd took his last breath on "Grey's Anatomy" in 2015, but fans of the show will never forget "McDreamy" and the impact he had on Meredith Grey's life and the show. As stunning as it might've been to see him go, Patrick Dempsey told Entertainment Weekly that it felt like the right time to move on — even though he actually still had a contract with "Greys." But as time went on, more was revealed about his departure, and some of the accounts featured in Lynette Rice's 2021 book "How to Save a Life: The Inside Story of Grey's Anatomy" paint a less breezy picture. As director James D. Parriott said of Shepherd, "He had this hold on the set where he knew he could stop production and scare people." On the flip side, a writer described him as a sweetheart and a crewmember said he was a "Lone Ranger." Whatever the actual truth was, execs for the show likely couldn't ignore his adoring fans begging for his return, and Dempsey came back in 2020 and twice in 2021.

In 2016, Dempsey appeared in the film "Bridget Jones's Baby;" in 2018, he starred in the thrilling mini series "The Truth About the Harry Quebert Affair;" and he appeared in two seasons of "Devils." What's more, he's in Michael Mann's "Ferrari," which filmed in 2022. In it, Dempsey plays Piero Taruffi, a racecar driver from Italy.

Loretta Devine, who played Adele Webber, wife of Chief of Surgery Richard Webber, on "Grey's Anatomy" has quite the impressive resume on IMDb, dating back to the early '80s. And she has a nice statue on her shelf for her work on "Grey's." In 2012, the Broadway icon received an Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series, and strangely it was not long after this that her character was killed off the show. In 2019, the actor laughed about it in a People interview. "I got an Emmy for this show for best guest spot and then they fired me right after that," she said. "They killed me with that damn Alzheimer's." But, the actor also shared, sometimes you can't understand the business and you just have to keep moving forward. And that's just what she did.

In 2012 and 2013 she had regular roles on "The Client List" and "The Doc Files," and what followed was dozens of spots on TV shows and movies like "Comeback Dad" and "Welcome to Me." And if you think she's all about the drama after watching her on "Grey's," Devine starred in the hilarious sitcom "The Carmichael Show" from 2015-2017, had 3 episodes on "Black-ish," and a whopping 134 episodes doing the voice of Hallie McStuffins on "Doc McStuffins. The actor's other more recent credits include "P-Valley" and "Days of Our Lives: Beyond Salem."

When Chyler Leigh was brought on to "Grey's Anatomy" to play Meredith Grey's half-sister, Lexie, it gave viewers a chance to see a softer, more nurturing side of their tough leading lady... eventually. Sadly, Lexie died in the same plane crash that killed her one-time boyfriend, Mark Sloan. And while her departure was heart-wrenching for viewers, the actor's reason for leaving the show was far less dramatic. In a statement released to TVLine in 2012, Leigh shared she felt it was time to move on, adding, "My experience on 'Grey's Anatomy' is something that I will treasure for the rest of my life."

After Leigh turned in her mask and scrubs, it wasn't long before she was wearing a badge, playing a detective on "Taxi Brooklyn," which only lasted one season. The following year, 2015, Leigh was cast as Alex Danvers in "Supergirl," a recurring role, though she didn't get to wear a cape. The show lasted six seasons, and the actor got the opportunity to sit in the director's chair in the final season. Leigh told ET, "Watching the whole process and being part of it from the start of the show, just picking up on things and story, having a love for storytelling in general, I feel like I was already always directing."

Leigh also appeared in four episodes of "The Flash" series, and as Deadline reported in 2022, she joined the Hallmark series "The Way Home."

Veteran actor Brooke Smith joined the cast of "Grey's Anatomy" at the end of Season 2 and continued on until a few shows into the fifth season when her character was written off. Dr. Erica Hahn was brought in as new Head of Cardiothoracic Surgery but also as a love interest for Callie Torres. But according to EW, execs didn't like the character or the couple. "Unfortunately, we did not find that the magic and chemistry with Brooke's character would sustain in the long run," Shonda Rhimes said.

While it took the actor about a year and a half to get her acting bearings back, in 2010 she started appearing on TV screens again in shows like "Criminal Minds," "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit," and "American Horror Story." Smith also snagged roles on the big screen with "Labor Day" starring Kate Winslet and "Interstellar" starring Matthew McConaughey. In 2013, she landed in another series, "Road Hard," as a regular and from there the guest roles kept coming.

One of Smith's more notable roles came as a series regular in the David E. Kelley drama, "Big Sky" in 2020. And when her work was not recognized via an Emmy nomination, the actor made the risky move and petitioned for herself. As she told IndieWire, though she's paid her dues over a 30-year career, that doesn't always matter in showbiz. "In Hollywood you're either making gajillions or you're really not making much," she said.

Season 9 of "Grey's Anatomy" was a new beginning in more ways than one. In the aftermath of the plane crash, a new set of interns comes to the hospital, including Stephanie Edwards, played by Jerrika Hinton. Edwards, a promising doctor who overcame childhood illness, becomes a hero when she saves a little girl from a fire during a hostage situation and sustains burns that ultimately result in her leaving the hospital. As far as leaving the show, the actor told TVLine she was grateful for the opportunity and that it opened many doors for her. "I am genuinely incapable of looking back on my time that way and thinking with 'If only ...' reservations," she said.

A year before her exit, Hinton chatted with "Good Day LA" about her role on the show and what she has planned beyond acting. "I still write and I still direct," she said. "I'm also a photographer and I've got a few other irons in the fire as well."

Those irons and her ambition had her continuously working, including a mini series, "Flip the Script" and a new series regular role in 2018 on the short-lived "Here and Now" with Tim Robbins. That same year she did a couple movies like "A Majestic Christmas," which she starred in, then in 2019 she snagged recurring roles on "Doxxed" and "Servant." Hinton's most recent project is playing an FBI agent on the series "Hunters," a crime show about Nazi hunters.

Cristina Yang might have been Meredith Grey's first "person" on "Grey's Anatomy" but Alex Karev, who was on the show from day one, took the role to another level, especially when Cristina left. Of course, there was the time he sold Mere out about her Alzheimer's trial — but he also helped her keep her medical license. Though actor Justin Chambers' last physical appearance on "Grey's" was in 2019, Alex didn't officially leave until 2020 via letters he'd written to his friends, relaying how he'd found Izzie and their children — much to the confusion of many die-hard Alex fans, who vented on Reddit how it was out of character and they didn't like the concept of the letters.

But Chambers was ready to move on. As he told Deadline, he'd been thinking about leaving for a while in the hopes of diversifying his career. "And, as I turn 50 and am blessed with my remarkable, supportive wife and five wonderful children, now is that time," he added. And what better way to start that journey than to play Marlon Brando in "The Offer," the miniseries about the making of the "Godfather"? After all, as he told USA Today, he was called "Baby Brando" early in his career. He recognized playing such a legend was a tall order, but he was up for the challenge. "I had wanted to push myself and do something different," he said.