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I think Ellen said it best when she said the early success of the show was hard on everyone. I appreciate that Ellen has never has never put on the "everything was fine!" facade that most actors put on. She even admitted to being one of the actors who let it get to her head early on. Grey's peak was the era where ratings REALLY mattered. It made news when Grey's started passing Desperate Housewives in the ratings. The show took off in an absolutely massive way. It was basically the big farewell of broadcast TV ruling the world. They had both massive ratings and critical success, and the actors became celebrities virtually overnight. Katherine didn't show up to set and later said she reached out to the team to ask for time off because her adopted daughter wasn't bonding with her. It's clear tensions were high between she and Shonda, and Shonda made that very obvious in the following years. But Shonda also said she was incredibly overwhelmed as a showrunner. She went from "the girl that wrote Crossroads" to one of the first celebrity showrunners along with JJ Abrams, Marc Cherry, etc. It's a lot of pressure to have that type of $ on your back when you have no experience being in charge of so many things. I think much of the turbulence of the early years comes down to this, on all accounts - Katherine, Shonda, Patrick all had moments of ego overtaking them. What bugs me is how long Shonda let it linger. Krista alluded to wanting to bring Izzie back for the 300th episode, and Shonda turned the idea down. I appreciate Ellen, Debbie, Krista and Shonda fighting over the last several years to transform the set from toxic to one that the actors gush about. I don't think that was an easy thing.

Jesse Williams reflecting on Alex's departure / teasing what's to come to ET: "It can't not reverberate. It's such an incredible, impactful character. I've always said that’s always been one of my favorite characters." "[Justin's] been one of the sweetest and funniest guys on set with me and everyone, certainly not just me. He's a light and he's so unassuming and chill as a person. And that character is specific and rooted and motivated. It's a big departure and it will impact all of us and impact the relationships that form and sever as a result, for sure." As Grey's moves on from Chambers' exit, Williams looked ahead to another key relationship that's been heating up since the start of the season: Jackson's blossoming romance with Station 19 firefighter, Vic. "There will be some answers before the end of the season for both shows. I think that that relationship is playing an important role for both of them because they're both coming out of two very different situations -- her losing her fiance [Ripley] and Jackson having this little bit of bumper cars with a couple of relationships since the love of his life left and the person he co-parents with [April]." "And I think Jackson is still admittedly -- speaking of knowing yourself and with this play, being honest with yourself -- Jackson doesn't quite have both feet on the ground. I think he's not entirely available as much as he might want to be." Speaking of April, Williams addressed a lingering question that's been on the back of fans' minds ever since Sarah Drew left the show at the end of season 14. The actor expressed optimism that that part of Jackson's story -- the fact that he and April are parents to a young daughter, Harriet -- will still remain a crucial part of his character's identity moving forward, even though fans haven't seen much of her since. "I hope so. We'll see. We'll certainly see Harriet again. I know that we shot with her," Williams revealed. "I think in general, fans need to keep in mind -- I know we love, and I'm one of them, loved Japril -- but we don't see kids very often on the show anyway. But you know, you've got 12 series regulars. You’ve got story to tell. Kids are not always the best device for that. So I would just remind our fans that it's not unique to Japril. Harriet is not being isolated in some way. We don't see most of the kids very often outside of a glimpse. But any connection... Sarah Drew is one of my favorite people in the world and that character and that relationship are everything to me, so I'm all for anything that connects to that in any way."

Episode 19 is a bottle episode featuring Richard, Catherine, Teddy, Maggie, and Hayes taking place at a Surgical Innovation conference in LA. It features flashbacks to Hayes' time with his late wife. Maggie and Teddy run into old friends, played by Anthony Hill (Maggie's friend) and Sherri Saum (Teddy's friend).

If Justin had such a big issue with his storyline or the producers for the last several years, he wouldn't have signed on again. His contract was up at the end of season 15, and he signed for two more seasons. He exited for personal reasons.

I think everyone knows (but maybe just doesn't want to accept) that this wouldn't work at all. Grey's is a romantic drama and having Jo's husband be referred to offscreen would halt her storyline. They just got married. It would also be incredibly awkward. If he had filmed some episodes of wrap-up, maybe. But without him there, you can't have Jo just pop up and say "Alex is working at another hospital!!! Everything is fine!!!" He's far too major of a presence on the show to tip-toe around the fact that he's gone. There really was no logical option left for the writer aside from killing him off. I'll be upset if they go for the alternative of having him leave Jo because that's out of character.

Amelia will give birth in either 16.19 or 16.20. They are filming the episode now. DeLuca's story is a continuation of his dad's bipolar disorder that was explored last year. It isn't a sleep disorder and it would have been planned long before Justin's exit. There is no reason to believe that there is any bad blood between Justin and the cast or writers.

All I'm speaking to is the idea that the people working on it only look at it as a paycheque. I can tell you that's factually wrong. I know people who work on the show (not Ellen or Shonda lol, but a writer and a few crew members) and can at least attest to the fact that it's a great work environment and they're all trying hard to tell important stories. By all accounts, they're scrambling after Justin left because they had intended an Alex/Jo endgame and expected Alex to be by Meredith's side until the end of the series. I don't always like the writers' choices (I'd be very content if Owen, Teddy, Maggie, Jackson and Catherine all disappeared) but I do believe they care about the show they're making and the characters they're writing. I can't change anyones mind, that's not my intent, just share my side of it.

I honestly think this couldn't be further from the truth. I get that it's how a bunch of cynical fans see it, which isn't surprising after all these years, but it isn't how the writers/producers/actors see it. Ellen made $40M between seasons 14 and 15 alone. She didn't need to sign on for two more. Of course money is important - it's a job. And Grey's is a massive money-maker. But they have, by all accounts, a great work environment: there's a reason so few regulars have left of their own will over the last several seasons. Since Sara's departure at the end of season 12, all the regular actors that have left have been creative choices, not the actors wanting to leave (AKA... they were let go). Until Justin. When you listen to Camilla, Caterina, Kelly, Kevin, Kim, Chandra, etc. talk about the show, you can tell they're proud of it. They're telling important stories and they all seem to love working together. The rape episode last year greatly increased calls to the sexual assault hotline that they promoted at the end. They employ women of colour behind and in front of the camera more than nearly anything else on broadcast TV. They hire tons of female writers and directors. They tell stories about race, sexuality, and illness that reach a MASSIVE audience. They've been inspiriting girls to become surgeons, doctors, and nurses for years. Grey's is basically an actors dream, aside from being, like... Leonardo DiCaprio or Meryl Streep. They may not always stick the landing, but it's rare to be part of something in Hollywood that even tries as much as Grey's does, much less something with as huge of an audience. I think everyone involved knows how lucky they are to be part of this thing. Most actors go their entire career without a part in a series nearly as significant as Grey's.

Justin wasn't in contract negotiations. He signed on last year for 2 more seasons. All this "he wanted a producer credit" or "he wasn't happy with his storylines/screentime" have absolutely nothing to do with anything and couldn't be further from the point. And in terms of "backstage drama", that hasn't been an issue since Patrick left. And even then, he was clashing with producers/writers, not other actors.

Apparently a major part of Ellen's 2-year contract signing last year was making sure that the other 3 originals wanted to stick around, as well. They really wanted to make it to the end together. If any one of them wanted to leave, Ellen likely wouldn't have signed for 16 and 17. I think this departure was a huge shock for everyone.

I don't think it has anything to do with other work/parts.

Per a friend of mine who is... familiar with the set, Chambers wasn't being let go. He wasn't moving to any spin-off (there was never a Pac-Gen spinoff on the table). He was signed on through the end of next season. He's very well-liked on set, good friends with Ellen, Jesse, etc. He asked for time off for personal issues, which he was granted, and then amidst that break, he approached ABC and the producers asking to be let go from his contract immediately.

It seems like something happened pretty spontaneously to lead to this (it's hilarious that people go directly to randomly trying to blame Ellen). There's no way that the 350th episode was intended to be his last - Shonda, Krista, Ellen, ABC, etc. would have made sure it was an event. They've all worked hard to keep the 4 remaining regulars around. Justin was at the 350th party with everyone else. It would have been announced or addressed (Krista, Shonda, Ellen all made speeches). Saying that he went to his mom's was the type of thing that they always do when an actor is gone for an episode or two (which is common). I don't believe for a second that they didn't think he'd be back... I just also can't help but wonder what went down after episode 8 that caused him to not return. Nothing about the writing for him in those first 8 episodes hinted at him exiting. I hope everything is okay with him personally and I'm sad that one of my favorite TV characters ever is going to just disappear. Unless they write Jo off with him (which doesn't seem to be the case, as Camilla is still filming) I think they're going to have word get back to Seattle that he was killed somehow. Nothing else will really make sense.

Wow. So... we've already seen the last of him according to TVLine. Something must have happened. Grey’s Anatomy fans have already seen the last of Alex Karev. TVLine has confirmed that the final episode featuring Justin Chambers — whose departure from the show was announced early Friday — aired on Nov. 14. In the Nov. 21 episode, viewers learned that Alex had returned home to care for his ailing mother. The fact that Chambers will not be given a proper onscreen sendoff suggests his departure came abruptly and without much notice. Reps for ABC declined to comment for this story.

16x10 - “Help Me Through the Night” – Following the car crash at Joe’s Bar and subsequent rescue efforts led by the Station 19 firefighters, Grey Sloan doctors work through the night to save the lives of their colleagues. Meanwhile, Amelia worries about sharing her pregnancy revelation with Link. Owen and Teddy take a big step, and Bailey deals with grief over her recent loss when “Grey’s Anatomy” returns THURSDAY, JAN. 23 (9:00-10:01 p.m. EST), on ABC. Guest starring is Jason George as Ben Warren, Richard Flood as Cormac Hayes, Alex Blue Davis as Casey Parker, Alex Landi as Nico Kim and Jaicy Elliot as Taryn Helm. Looks like the rescue will play out on Station 19 and Grey's will pick up with the doctors coming into the hospital, so watching S19 first won't be essential unless you're eager to actually see how Levi, Jackson, Ben, etc. get out of the bar.