Grey’s Anatomy has seen many, many beloved characters leave the show in different circumstances, but Alex Karev leaving (played by Justin Chambers) was one of the more recent departures, and it also turned out to be controversial. Medical drama is 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 and began as a midseason replacement, but it became so popular that it now has over 18 seasons and shows no signs of stopping soon, even if its quality has decreased.
Grey’s Anatomy is led by Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo), who started her journey as an intern at Seattle Grace Hospital alongside other beloved characters, such as Cristina Yang (Sandra Oh) and Alex Karev. Over the course of 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 was gone to waste when the characters had to leave the show. Alex Karev leaving Grey’s Anatomy left a sour taste in audiences’ mouths, as he was one of the very few original characters left, and his means of departure wasn’t well-received.
Why Alex Left Grey’s Anatomy
Alex Karev started out as a man hiding behind an image of aggression and a rebel and eventually became one of the most compassionate and beloved characters in Grey’s Anatomy. Alex Karev leaving the hospital and all his friends happened in Grey’s Anatomy season 16, and even though the show began moving towards his goodbye by having him supposedly visiting his mom and telling his wife Jo that he was “going through something” and stopped answering his calls, his departure was highly criticized not because it still felt abrupt but because of the reason why he moved out of Seattle.
Why Alex’s Exit Was So Controversial
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 in the show, but all that was erased by Alex Karev leaving to focus on the past. Audiences were understandably upset as the Alex Karev they came to know and love would have never abandoned Jo like that for someone that left him years ago and hurt him so much, no matter how much he loved her. Viewers went as far as to express that they wished Grey’s Anatomy killed Alex off rather than seeing him leave his wife for his former partner without even having the courage of explaining the situation.
The writers and showrunner of Grey’s Anatomy, and even Ellen Pompeo herself, have defended the way Alex Karev was written off the show, but viewers don’t forgive and let go that easily, especially as this isn’t the first time the show comes up with an unsatisfying departure, though the Alex Karev exit was assuredly one of the worst. Grey’s Anatomy has been criticized for going on the easy route to say goodbye to 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
There’s no question that Alex Karev leaving Grey’s Anatomy angered viewers. However, rumors have swirled about his possible return, however unlikely they may be. 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 only served to spark hope among those most perturbed by the Alex Karev exit, and rumors soon began flying that Chambers would make an appearance in Grey’s Anatomy season 20. Very quickly, it was revealed that Chambers isn’t coming back to Grey’s Anatomy (via TVLine).
According to TVLine, a source that’s close to the series reports that there is “no truth to the rumors.” Alex Karev leaving Grey’s Anatomy was highly controversial, but the means by which writers ushered his transition makes a return highly unlikely. The only way that Alex could come back is if Izzie came back with him, and Heigl is one of the least likely cast members to be seen on the show again, given the nature of her exit. Alex coming back alone would be even worse, as he already abandoned Jo to be with Izzie. All in all, Alex Karev leaving Grey’s Anatomy was poorly handled, and audiences won’t forget it anytime soon.
