With Grey’s Anatomy going into its 20th season in 2024, fans have seen their share of character exits. Many of our beloved Seattle doctors have left the show under dramatic circumstances — Patrick Dempsey’s “terrorizing” behavior leading to McDreamy’s death, for instance, or Katherine Heigl’s tumultuous relationship with creator Shonda Rhimes — while other departures were done seemingly in service of the show’s narrative. That may have been the case for Sarah Drew, who played April Kepner for nine seasons. She recently recalled being shocked and confused over being written off, but explained why it was actually a blessing in disguise.
Sarah Drew joined Grey’s Anatomy in Season 6, and fans particularly became enamored with the relationship between April and Jackson Avery (Jesse Williams) before Drew bid fans farewell at the end of Season 14. She recalled the pain of that time on the Whine Down podcast, telling host Jana Kramer:
