The season 22 finale of Grey’s Anatomy ended on a different note than past seasons. Instead of concluding with a heart-stoppingly dramatic cliffhanger, the episode leaves fans with a more open-ended pivot as we prepare for season 23. So, who is leaving the show?
“We’ll always have to wait to see who shows up in season 23,” showrunner Meg Marinis told Deadline following the season 22 finale.
Below, find out which cast members are leaving Grey’s Anatomy as we look forward to its next season.
Grey’s Anatomy Season 22 Finale Ending Explained
The doctors of Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital were pushed to their limits during the dramatic season 22 finale of Grey’s Anatomy. By the end of “Bridge Over Troubled Water,” the long-running series had fundamentally changed for good.
As the episode title teases, a scene with a bridge disaster puts Owen’s fate in the air. After becoming trapped in the middle of the bridge collapse, it looks as though he could die while attempting to rescue victims from the chaos.
But Owen survives, and he and Teddy end the episode choosing each other and making a new life for themselves.
The finale episode also delivers movement for Meredith Grey herself. Ellen Pompeo’s character finds herself confronting just how much Dr. Nick Marsh means to her after he was injured during the bridge collapse. When she’s faced with the possibility of losing him, Meredith proposes to Nick.
One of the episode’s most devastating twists, though, involves Benson “Blue” Kwan (Harry Shum Jr.). After violating protocol by performing unauthorized medical treatment earlier in the season, Blue gets fired. However, even amid the fallout, he is still one of the doctors willing to step up during the bridge collapse, which suggests his story may not be over on the show.
Who Is Leaving Grey’s Anatomy After Season 22?
It’s safe to assume that Kevin McKidd and Kim Raver are on their way out of Grey’s Anatomy, considering their characters’ journey. The duo has a type of ride-off-into-the-sunset ending when they leave the hospital together to move to Paris. The exits of the longtime fan favorites Dr. Owen Hunt (Kidd) and Dr. Teddy Altman (Raver) were likely written to exemplify their permanent departures.
After spending much of season 22 struggling through marital tension and distance, Teddy and Owen ultimately chose each other above anything else. Teddy initially planned to take a new professional opportunity in Paris alone, but Owen surprised her by agreeing to leave Seattle behind so they could start over with their new lives.
Fans were wondering why the finale only had a handful of characters in it, prompting many to wonder whether more exits were coming. But showrunner Marinis told Deadline, “When we realized that we needed to exit two characters we wanted to spend the most time on the characters that we have currently.”
Is There a Season 23 of Grey’s Anatomy?
Yes! ABC renewed Grey’s Anatomy for season 23, which is expected to premiere sometime in the fall of 2026.
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