6 Grey’s Anatomy Stars Who Returned to the Show After Their Character’s Dramatic Exits

Jessica Capshaw, who portrayed Dr. Arizona Robbins, exited Grey’s Anatomy in Season 14 when her character moved to New York. She later returned as a guest star in Season 20, performing a fetal surgery. Speaking to Deadline at the time, Capshaw recalled the warm welcome she received on set, saying, “When I came back … it was like every time I turned a corner and saw someone that I hadn’t seen in a while, the just like the joy and squeals and the screams and the laughter and the just the fun that came about was just exactly where we left off. Stepping back into that character and putting on my scrubs was like I’ve done 1,000 times before.”

Sarah Drew departed Grey’s Anatomy as a series regular at the end of Season 14, when her character, Dr. April Kepner, resigned to provide medical care to homeless communities. She returned as a guest star in Season 17, giving her character and her on-screen love interest, Jackson Avery (Jesse Williams), a happy reunion and proper closure. In May 2021, Drew spoke about her comeback in an interview with Business Insider, saying, “I have never been shy about wanting Japril to be endgame, it's what I've wanted the whole time. One of the biggest heartbreaks for me about leaving in season 14 was that they didn't get to be endgame.” She later made a second guest appearance in Season 18 as well.

Jesse Williams left the medical drama as a series regular in Season 17, when his character, Dr. Jackson Avery, moved to Boston to run the Catherine Fox Foundation. Since then, he has returned multiple times as a guest star, reprising his role in Seasons 18, 19, 20, and 21. For those who don't know, Williams has also worked behind the camera, directing multiple episodes of Grey’s Anatomy. In an interview with Shondaland, he shared his love for the experience, saying, “I really love directing, period, and I really love directing there. It’s a home-field advantage. I know a lot of the crew, who, it should be said, are the most important element. What I love about directing in general is it’s such a collaborative medium.”

Kim Raver exited the ABC series at the end of Season 8, when her character, Dr. Teddy Altman, took a job with the U.S. Army Medical Command. She briefly returned as a recurring guest star in Season 14 before rejoining the main cast as a series regular at the start of Season 15. Now, Raver has officially departed Grey’s Anatomy alongside co-star Kevin McKidd in the Season 22 finale, with Teddy moving to Paris. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, she reflected on her time on the show, saying, “I’ll just say that playing Teddy and letting go of Teddy is a deeply felt and an incredibly emotional journey for me, because the gift of being on the show for so long and working with Shondaland, as an actor, is lightning in a bottle. I went to work every day aware of what an opportunity it is. It means so much to me.”

When Patrick Dempsey departed the series in Season 11, it felt like a full stop for his character, Dr. Derek Shepherd, who tragically died in a car accident. His exit left fans heartbroken, but the show's creator eventually found a way to bring him back. Years later, Dempsey returned during the Season 17 premiere, reprising his role as Shepherd in a dream sequence involving Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo), who was ill with COVID-19. In a November 2020 interview with Deadline, he described the experience as “great,” adding, “It was really fun, very special.”

The late actor Eric Dane, whom Grey’s Anatomy paid tribute to in Season 22 following his death in February from respiratory failure caused by amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also made a return to the medical drama. He left the show as a series regular at the end of Season 8, though his character, Dr. Mark Sloan, appeared briefly in the first two episodes of Season 9 before succumbing to injuries from a plane crash. Like Patrick Dempsey, Dane later returned as a guest star in Season 17, appearing in the beach dream sequence.