Grey’s Anatomy has been going through a surprising amount of cast exits and onscreen deaths.
The medical drama, which premiered in 2005, is focused on the personal and professional lives of surgical interns, residents and attendings at the fictional Seattle Grace Hospital a.k.a Seattle Grace Mercy West Hospital a.k.a Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital.
Due to the nature of the show, Grey’s Anatomy has become known for its wild twists that often result in cast exits. Cost-cutting efforts, however, have been affecting scripted TV across the board recently as more shows continue to reduce screen time for main cast members.
NBC’s Law & Order and One Chicago franchises have become known for various cast exits across the franchise over the years. Over at CBS, Fire Country and the FBI universe featured minimum guarantees getting reduced in addition to onscreen departures.
Season 22 of Grey’s Anatomy went through its own major changes. Deadline previously reported in fall 2025 that the show reduced the minimum guarantees for its veteran cast members from appearances in 18 episodes per season to 14. While some of Grey’s Anatomy’s consistent stars would be missing for four episodes, Caterina Scorsone departed for a whopping eight.
Showrunner Meg Marinis previously hinted that not every character would be safe after a hospital explosion in season 21 opened the door for more shakeups.
“Well, I feel like a lot of people are probably sitting in operating rooms,” she told The Hollywood Reporter in May 2025. “So unless you saw them and where they were when that explosion went off, I don’t think we can say anyone is necessarily safe.”
Marinis noted that she spoke with the cast about what to expect, adding, “I’ve had conversations with some of them, but they all know it’s a Grey’s Anatomy cliffhanger and they know every year they never know what to expect. They’re here for it. They like to keep our stories exciting and fresh.”
At the time, no decisions were yet made on who would return — and who wouldn’t.
“But even in the last two seasons with what you saw this year, we had to reduce the cast a little bit [because of industry-wide budget cuts], and everybody has very passionate feelings about their favorite characters,” Marinis shared. “But if we can get the writers upset then we know we’re doing it right. It’s not as satisfying a story if people aren’t upset when someone leaves. It’s supposed to make people upset and sad, so I’m sure there’ll be some arguments. But I’ve been persuaded before to change my mind on things.”
She continued: “I definitely have thoughts. Whether or not those thoughts change, that can always happen. I haven’t put pen to paper yet, but it’ll be very soon that I do.”
Monica Beltran (Natalie Morales) was killed off in the season 22 premiere, and months later, news broke that Kevin McKidd and Kim Raver were also leaving the show.
“That’s the life of an actor,” Raver exclusively told Us Weekly ahead of her shocking exit, opening up about life working on a hit medical drama amid cast changes.
Raver, who played Teddy since season 6, explained that she wanted to focus on the job, adding, “It’s really just about trying to be present and doing the work and following the amazing story lines that the writers are giving us. Especially with how now we’re always having these incredible cliffhangers. One never knows.”
