Grey’s Anatomy has seen many beloved characters leave the show, but Alex Karev leaving in season 16 was controversial. Medical dramas are part of a genre that continues to be quite popular, and one of the most successful TV shows from this branch is Grey’s Anatomy, created by Shonda Rhimes. Grey’s Anatomy premiered on ABC in 2005, led until recent seasons by Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo), who started her journey as an intern at Seattle Grace Hospital alongside other beloved characters.
The Grey's Anatomy alumni includes names like Cristina Yang (Sandra Oh) and Alex Karev (Justin Chambers). Throughout the series, Meredith and company have gone through a variety of obstacles in their professional and personal lives that have helped them grow, but in some cases, all that development goes to waste when the characters have to leave the show. Alex Karev leaving Grey's Anatomy left a sour taste in audiences' mouths, as he was one of the few original characters left, and his departure wasn't well-received.
Why Alex Left Grey's Anatomy
Justin Leaving Grey's Anatomy Was A Long-Planned Story
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Played by Justin Chambers, Alex Karev started as a man hiding behind an image of aggression and eventually became one of the most compassionate and beloved characters in Grey’s Anatomy. Alex Karev leaving the hospital happened in Grey’s Anatomy season 16. Even though the show began moving towards his goodbye by having him supposedly visiting his mom and telling his wife Jo he was “going through something,” his departure was highly criticized, not because it still felt abrupt, but because of the reason why he moved out of Seattle.
Speaking to Deadline in 2020, Grey's Anatomy star Justin Chambers shed some light on why he left the show after 15 years:
"There’s no good time to say goodbye to a show and character that’s defined so much of my life for the past 15 years. For some time now, however, I have hoped to diversify my acting roles and career choices. And, as I turn 50 and am blessed with my remarkable, supportive wife and five wonderful children, now is that time."
Why Alex's Exit Was So Controversial
Grey's Anatomy Viewers Didn't Want To Say Goodbye To Alex
Alex Karev didn’t even return to explain why he left, and instead, Grey’s Anatomy explained it through letters he sent to Jo, Meredith, Miranda Bailey, and Richard Webber. In them, he explained that he learned Izzie (Katherine Heigl) used the embryos they froze years ago, and she’s now a mother of twins. Alex went to meet his children and decided to stay with them and Izzie to make sure the kids didn’t grow up without a father like he did, and admitted that he had always loved Izzie.
He was one of the characters in Grey’s Anatomy who went through major character development during his time on the show, but all that was erased by Alex Karev leaving to focus on the past. Audiences were upset as the Alex Karev they came to know and love would never have abandoned Jo for someone who left him years ago and hurt him so much. Viewers expressed they wished Grey’s Anatomy killed Alex off rather than him leave his wife for his former partner without even having the courage to explain the situation.
The writers and showrunners of Grey’s Anatomy, and even Ellen Pompeo herself, defended the way Alex Karev left the show, but viewers don’t forgive and let go that easily, especially as this isn’t the first time the show featured an unsatisfying departure — though the Alex Karev exit was one of the worst. Grey’s Anatomy has been criticized for going on the easy route to remove its characters and killing them off, but in Alex Karev’s case, many viewers agree that killing him would have been better than the ending he was given.
There Are Rumors Alex Could Return To Grey's Anatomy
An Instagram Post Led To Speculation That Justin Chambers Could Be Coming Back
Alex Karev leaving Grey's Anatomy angered viewers. However, rumors have swirled about his possible return. In January 2023, Chambers made an innocuous Instagram post featuring a coffee cup with a Grey's Anatomy sleeve, captioning the post: "A fresh cup of Grey's." This post sparked hope among those most perturbed by the Alex Karev exit. Rumors began flying that Chambers would make an appearance in Grey's Anatomy. It was revealed that Chambers isn't coming back to Grey's Anatomy.
A source that's close to the series reports that there is "no truth to the rumors." Alex Karev leaving Grey's Anatomy was controversial, but how writers created his transition makes a return unlikely. The only way that Alex could come back is if Izzie came back, and Heigl is one of the least likely cast members to return. Alex returning alone would be even worse, as he abandoned Jo to be with Izzie. Alex Karev leaving Grey's Anatomy was poorly handled, and audiences won't forget it anytime soon.
This Was Far From Grey's Anatomy's Only Controversial Exit
Fans Have Viewed Multiple Exits Poorly
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Grey’s Anatomy fans will likely be unanimous in their dislike of Alex Karev’s exit from the series, but his exit isn’t the only one to spark controversy. The series famously likes to kill characters off instead of having them leave for another opportunity, but most of the controversial exits on the show don’t involve character deaths.
The most famously controversial might be Katherine Heigl as Izzie Stevens leaving the series. That’s largely because fans felt there was absolutely no closure for her character and because Heigl had spoken up about not being happy with some of her own performances in the series not long before. Some audience members and critics thought Heigl was being ungrateful for her role on the show, though she has since said that was never her intention. She was simply expressing her own opinions about her work, not the show itself.
Izzie went through a major storyline in which she had cancer, married Alex, and then… disappeared right when Meredith was going through a hard time. The show didn’t even explain where she ended up or if she was okay for another 10 years. Her exit didn’t sit well with fans, and some will likely argue that at least Alex left a note for Meredith to read.
Callie’s exit from the series was also controversial for a lot of fans because they felt it didn’t fit her character. In the episodes leading up to Callie’s exit, the writers had been doling out a story that involved Callie and Arizona fighting for custody of their daughter while Callie prepared to move to New York to be with someone else. Fans rightly were confused by the sudden changes to Callie’s character and felt like she was changed to fit the exit, not the characterization of Callie.
With Grey’s Anatomy likely to continue with new generations of interns for years to come, there are sure to be plenty more character exits for fans and critics to dissect.
