Who is leaving Greys Anatomy season 18

You know a show like Grey's Anatomy can only end a season on a high note—and it seems that's exactly what will happen on May 26, 2022, when former Grey's stars Jesse Williams and Sarah Drewreturn for the Season 18 finale!

The two will be reprising their roles as Dr. Jackson Avery and Dr. April Kepner, respectively. Drew was asked to leave the series at the end of Season 14 for "creative reasons," while Williams departed toward the end of Season 17. In Williams' final episode, Drew returned to reprise her role as his ex-wife and mother of their daughter, whom he visited before leaving for Boston to head up his family's foundation and change the world of medicine. April then revealed that she had split from her husband, and agreed to join him in Boston, along with their daughter.

In a 2021 roundtable, when asked if Drew would ever consider headlining a Grey’s Anatomy spinoff following April and Jackson in Boston, Drew said that she thought that would be “amazing.“ Williams has also said that he would be willing to reprise his role for a spin off, telling Insiderthat he "won't say [a spinoff is] not a possibility," and that he and Drew "would kill it." Whether their return to Grey’s Anatomy at the end of Season 18 is opening the door for such a spinoff, or whether it’s just an opportunity for fans to check in with their favorite characters yet again, we will have to wait to see.

Keep reading to find out everything we know about Season 18 of Grey's Anatomy. 

Related: Grey's Anatomy's Ellen Pompeo: 'I Hated Medical Shows' 

When did Grey's Anatomy return for Season 18?

While the Season 17 premiere of Grey's Anatomy got pushed back to November 2020 due to COVID-related delays, Season 18 will be sticking to a more typical schedule. The Season 18 premiere of Grey's Anatomy will debut on Thursday, September 30, at 9 pm ET/PT.

Season 18 of Grey's officially started shooting on Wed., Aug. 11. That's when Pompeo shared a video on her Instagram Story that shows her in a makeup chair on set along with the caption, “Guess what time it is? #GreysSeason18.”

What time is Grey's Anatomy on?

Season 18 of Grey's Anatomy airs on Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on ABC. 

Which Grey’s Anatomy cast members returned for Season 18?

Every series regular who made it through Season 17 is expected to return for Season 18. That list includes original cast members Pompeo, Chandra Wilson (Dr. Miranda Bailey), and James Pickens, Jr. (Dr. Richard Webber), all three of whom navigated their way through successful contract negotiations that led to the renewal for Season 18. Prior to Season 17, Kim Raver (Dr. Teddy Altman), Camilla Luddington (Dr. Jo Wilson), and Kevin McKidd (Dr. Owen Hunt) signed multi-year contracts which would likewise keep them aboard through Season 18. 

We also expect to see Kelly McCreary (Dr. Maggie Pierce), Caterina Scorsone (Dr. Amelia Shepherd), Jake Borelli (Dr. Levi Schmitt), Chris Carmack (Dr. Atticus Lincoln), Richard Flood (Dr. Cormac Hayes), and Anthony Hill (Dr. Winston Ndugo) to return as series regulars, with Debbie Allen (Dr. Catherine Fox), Jason George (Dr. Ben Warren), Alex Landi (Dr. Nico Kim), Jaicy Elliot (Dr. Taryn Helm), and Stefania Spampinato (Dr. Carina DeLuca) likely to continue to appear as recurring guest stars. 

Related: Grey's for Days! Check Out Our Photo Gallery of Everyone Who We Know's in the Grey's Anatomy Season 18 Cast

Who didn't return to Grey's Anatomy for Season 18?

While none of our favorite Grey Sloan Memorial docs succumbed to COVID during Season 17, that doesn't mean everyone is sticking around. The first main cast member to leave the show was Giacomo Gianniotti, who played Dr. Andrew DeLuca. DeLuca was killed mid-season when he exposed a child trafficking ring and was stabbed in the process. 

Next to depart wasWilliams, who first joined the cast of Grey's Anatomy back in Season 6 as Dr. Jackson Avery. The only other remaining member of Meredith's resident class, Jackson made the decision to depart Seattle for Boston, where he will run his family's multi-billion dollar foundation in an effort to provide more equitable medical care to marginalized communities. Going along with Jackson on his new quest is Jackson's ex-wife and the mother of his daughter, former main character Dr. April Kepner (Drew), who was written off the series at the end of Season 14. April revealed in Jackson's penultimate episode that she and her husband were separated, freeing her up to head to Boston with Jackson and hinting that the two may still wind up together someday. 

In more Season-17-surprising-exit news, Dr. Tom Koracick (Greg Germann) dropped the bombshell at the end of Jackson's final episode that he wanted to go with him. After his own bout with COVID-19, Tom was searching for purpose in his life and thought that Jackson's mission sounded like something he wanted to be part of. But don't worry; Koracick is still expected to return as a guest star periodically, likely at least partly due to the fact that Jo Wilson sold him all of her shares in the hospital in the Season 17 finale.  

Did any former cast members return to Grey's Anatomy in Season 18?

The return of Kate Walsh as Dr. Addison Montgomery was a shocker when it was announced back in September 2021, while ET also reported that Kate Burton would be back on Grey's for Season 18, appearing in several episodes as Meredith's belated mom, Ellis Grey.

Are there any Grey'sAnatomy Season 18 new cast members?

Peter Gallagher "has been tapped for a major arc on the upcoming eighteenth season," Deadline reported back in August 2021, noting that "his character may hold the key to how Kate Burton’s Ellis Grey will be reintroduced on the show." Other than that, we know that Gallagher will meet Meredith (presumably for the first time?) in the season premiere and that his character's name is Dr. Alan Hamilton.

Related: OMG! Ellen Pompeo and Patrick Dempsey React to the Return of McDreamy 

Does Season 18 of Grey's Anatomy address COVID-19?

The 17th and most recent season of the long-running medical drama was written to incorporate the COVID-19 pandemic—both as "the medical story of our lifetimes," and as a practical way to incorporate PPE into most scenes, keeping the actors and crew safer on set. Season 17 also saw protagonist Meredith spending many episodes in a COVID-induced coma. By the end of the season, while Meredith had recovered and returned home, several other characters had departed for good, and plenty more had gone through significant life changes, leaving us anxious to see what's next for Meredith and her colleagues.

While a lot has changed since Season 17 wrapped, the COVID-19 pandemic is still not over, especially for healthcare workers. So while we don't expect to see the pandemic take center stage in Season 18 the way it did in Season 17, we assume that Grey's will still acknowledge it in some way. That said, nothing official has been said yet about the plots for Season 18, so the series could always surprise us. 

What happened at the end of Season 17 of Grey's Anatomy? 

What happened to Meredith Grey in Season 17 of Grey'sAnatomy?

Season 17 of Grey's Anatomy will probably go down in the books as the COVID-19 season, but that wasn't the only storyline; many characters ended the season in very different places than where they began. Last we saw Meredith, she was still struggling with the COVID-19 aftereffects of weakness and fatigue, which threatened her ability to perform her duties as a surgeon. Realizing that long-haul COVID may have permanently impacted Meredith's professional capabilities, but not wanting to lose her vast skill set, Miranda Bailey got the inspired idea to make Meredith the new residency director, putting her in charge of teaching and molding the surgeons of the future. Meredith also finally managed to grab a drink with Cormac Hayes—albeit in the attendings lounge—hinting at a possible future romance. 

What happened to Jo Wilson in Season 17 of Grey's Anatomy?

After being dumped via letter and served divorce papers through the mail, Jo spends much of Season 17 trying to rediscover joy in her life, and realizes surgery isn't where she's going to find it. She winds up switching specialties to Obstetrics, where she falls head over heels for an orphaned baby in the NICU named Luna. Jo's attempts to adopt Luna hit numerous barriers throughout the latter half of the season, but in the finale, she was finally granted full custody of the infant. To help pay for the adoption, Jo sold her shares in the hospital to Koracick, and used some of the excess funds to purchase Jackson's former apartment for herself and Luna.

What happened to Amelia Shepherd and Atticus Lincoln in Season 17 of Grey's Anatomy?

As for Amelia and Link, they spent most of the season caring for both their newborn son and Meredith's children while she was in the hospital. While they seemed to have settled happily into their new family dynamic, once Meredith returned home and the couple could focus on each other and their son, it became quickly apparent that they may be on different pages. At the end of the season, as Link planned a proposal and talked excitedly about their future, Amelia found herself pulling back, unsure of what she wanted. In the finale, Amelia turned down Link's proposal, leading to him apparently moving out and crashing at Jo's new apartment. 

What happened to Teddy Altman and Owen Hunt in Season 17 of Grey'sAnatomy?

While Link's proposal didn't turn out the way he'd hoped, the same can't be said for Owen Hunt's. After spending the beginning of the season furious with his former fiancé, Teddy, for cheating on him with Koracick (including on what was supposed to be their wedding day)—and for lying to him for decades about the nature of her relationship with her deceased "best friend," for whom Teddy and Owen named their daughter—the two gradually started warming back up to one another in the back half of Season 17. In the season finale, Owen re-proposed to Teddy, and she accepted, setting up the possibility of another Grey's Anatomy wedding in Season 18.

What happened to Maggie Pierce and Winston Ndugu in Season 17 of Grey'sAnatomy?

After beginning the season in a long-distance relationship, Winston ultimately decided to travel to Seattle in order to be closer to Maggie during the pandemic, working temporarily at Grey Sloan. That temporary arrangement turned permanent when Winston proposed and accepted a permanent position as an attending at the hospital. Maggie and Winston initially opted to forgo a long engagement and jump right to the wedding, but their parents talked them out of a rushed event and encouraged them to wait until they could have a proper celebration with all of their family and friends in attendance. The season ended with their idyllic beach wedding.

Which Grey'sAnatomy couples were still together going into Season 18?

Season 17 was quite the romantic shakeup for Grey's Anatomy's couples. While Owen and Teddy started the season barely even speaking, thanks to Teddy's wedding-day cheating, they ended the season engaged again, and will presumably be wedding planning when we next see them in Season 18. Also back together after a more-off-than-on season are Levi and Nico, after Nico finally realized he was ready to open up and be vulnerable with Levi. 

Also still going strong, of course, are Miranda Bailey and her husband Ben, who spent some of Season 17 quarantining separately for the safety of their children, but are now happily cohabitating yet again. Maggie and Winston are obviously still together, having just tied the knot in the Season 17 finale, and Richard Webber and Catherine Fox are also still happily married. And in a crossover with Station 19, Carina DeLuca got married to fire captain Maya Bishop (Danielle Savre) to avoid being deported to Italy, allowing her to remain in Seattle. 

Which Grey'sAnatomy couples broke up in Season 17? 

The three main cast member exits in Season 17 also gave a definitive end to several ambiguously defined relationships. Andrew DeLuca's death eliminated the fuzzy love triangle between him, Meredith, and Cormac Hayes, leaving Hayes unrivaled now in his pursuit of Meredith's affections. Jackson's departure put an end to his friends-with-benefits arrangement with Jo, although the two remained good friends. And Tom Koracick's decision to follow Jackson to Boston removed him as a complication in Teddy and Owen's romance. 

However, the only major Grey's Anatomy couple seemingly calling it quits by the end of Season 17 was Amelia and Link, after she turned down his proposal. However, since they still have a child together, they'll still need to be in one another's lives, so we won't rule out an eventual reconciliation. 

Related: Ellen Pompeo Talks Grey's Anatomy 'Toxic' Work Environment, Says She Only Stayed Because She Needed to 'Provide for My Family' 

Is Season 18 the final season of Grey's Anatomy?

After coming down to the wire on whether Season 17 would serve as the final season of Grey's Anatomy, an eleventh-hour deal was ultimately reached, bringing Season 18 to fruition. As for Grey's fate after Season 18, fans found out in January 2022 that the series got picked up for a 19th season, which will presumably unfold in 2022-2023.

News of the Season 19 renewal was kinda surprising, as both Pompeo and showrunner Krista Vernoff had indicated they were willing to wrap up the series if either the storyline or the network called for it after Season 18. 

At the 2021 Primetime Emmys in September, Pompeo told Entertainment Tonight that fans who suspect the series finale could come after the end of Season 18 were "not far off," adding, "I mean, I've been trying to get away for years. I have been trying. It's not because I haven't been trying. I have strong relationships at the network and they have been very, very good to me, and have incentivized me to stay." On the more optimistic side, the 51-year-old Pompeo added that she's willing to continue with the show "as long as there's something to do," noting that "we keep coming up with ways to have a reason to stay."

As for ABC, the network that has served as the home of the series since 2005, they still seem to be on board with as much Grey's as they can get for years to come. “Grey’s Anatomy continues to be a ratings juggernaut," Craig Erwich, President of ABC Entertainment and Hulu Originals, said in May 2021. "We will take Grey’s Anatomy for as long as we can.” 

How can I watch Grey's Anatomy Season 18?

Grey's Anatomy airs on Thursday nights on ABC at 9 p.m. ET/PT. For those without cable, episodes can be watched as they air on Hulu + Live TV or YouTube TV, or the next day on Hulu. New episodes will also be available on the ABC app eight days after they originally air.   

Where can I catch up on past seasons of Grey's Anatomy?

Every episode of Season 17 is currently available to stream on Hulu. You can also currently stream the entire series, including Season 17, on Netflix. 

Next, excited for all your favorite shows to return in the fall? Check out our 2021 viewing schedule to make sure you don't miss a thing.