Jessica Capshaw & Sarah Drew Set To Leave ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Cast

Long-time Grey’s Anatomy characters Dr. Arizona Robbins (Jessica Capshaw) and Dr. April Kepner (Sarah Drew) will be departing the ABC show by the end of the current season.

Capshaw and Drew have been on the show for ten and nine years, respectively. While this is a heartbreaking announcement for fans, the show assures that the two are the only characters from the large cast to be leaving this season. 

The series creator Shonda Rhimes shared a statement on Twitter on the topic of the two actresses’ departure. She said, “I will forever be grateful to both Jessica and Sarah for bringing these characters to life with such a vibrant performance and for inspiring women around the globe.”

 

Capshaw, who plays Arizona Robbins on the show, also shared a statement about her departure from the show. She says that her character “was one of the first members of the LGBTQ community to be represented in a series regular role on network television. Her impact on the world is permanent and forever.”

 

Drew, who plays Dr. April Kepner, however, is not ready to give her full good-bye statement yet. But she did leave fans with a quick note that stated she would release one soon. As of right now, she says, “I love you, and I love April, and her story isn’t over yet.”

 

There were rumors that made its way around that the two were leaving due to main actress Ellen Pompeo receiving a salary increase that would be about $20 million a year. However, showrunner Krista Vernoff quickly shut down those rumors. She stated that the rumors are “wrong and hurtful and misguided. It smacks of an old, broken, patriarchal notion that women must be pitted against each other and that one woman’s success will be costly to others.” She then explains that the writers believed “it felt true and right creatively to wrap up their stories.”

 

There are no other details about how the departure of the two characters will come to be. However, fans are already speculating due to the shows habit of creating a shock as characters leave the show.

The last episode of Grey’s Anatomy is set to air on March 28, 2018.