Jesse Williams To Exit ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ After 12 Seasons

Jesse Williams

Jesse Williams To Exit ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ After 12 Seasons

Dr. Jackson Avery is leaving Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital.

Jesse Williams, who plays the plastic surgeon heartthrob on ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy, will be exiting the popular series after 12 seasons.

The move was announced in Thursday night’s (May 6th) episode called “Look Up Child.” In that episode, he went to see his father and had a special moment with his ex-wife and mother of his child, April Kepner (played by Sarah Drew). He lets his father and April know of his plans to move from Seattle to Boston and take over his family’s foundation. This comes after he’s expressed frustration with disparities concerning people of color in the health system amid COVID-19. He tells April he wants her and her husband, along with their daughter Harriet, to go with him.

His final episode, called “Tradition”, will air on May 20th. It is the 15th episode of the current 17th season.

Jesse Williams joined the show as a recurring character in season 6 and was boosted to a full-time cast member in season 7. His mother, recurring character Dr. Catherine Fox, was played by Debbie Allen.

During his time there, he received an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series.

He told Deadline in a statement,

“I will forever be grateful for the boundless opportunities provided me by Shonda, the network, studio, fellow castmates, our incredible crew, Krista, Ellen and Debbie. As an actor, director and person, I have been obscenely lucky to learn so much from so many and I thank our beautiful fans, who breathe so much energy and appreciation into our shared worlds. The experience and endurance born of creating nearly 300 hours of leading global television is a gift I’ll carry always. I am immensely proud of our work, our impact and to be moving forward with so many tools, opportunities, allies and dear friends.”

The show’s executive producer and showrunner Krista Vernoff added,

“Jesse Williams is an extraordinary artist and activist. Watching his evolution these past 11 years both on screen and off has been a true gift. Jesse brings so much heart, such depth of care, and so much intelligence to his work. We will miss Jesse terribly and we will miss Jackson Avery — played to perfection for so many years.”