After nine seasons, Kelly McCreary (Castle) is leaving ABC’s longest running medical drama. Her final episode as a series regular will premiere on April 13, via The Hollywood Reporter.
Recent episodes of this season of Grey’s Anatomy have been heavily focused on her character Maggie Pierce’s , the head of cardiothoracic surgery at Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital,marital trouble with her husband Winston (Anthony Hill, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia), a cardiothoracic surgeon. Maggie entered the show in season ten as the daughter to Ellen Pompeo’s character Meredith’s mother, Ellis Grey (Kate Burton, Scandal), and Chief Richard Webber (James Pickens Jr., Just Wright, For the Love of Ruth). Pierce was promoted to series regular in season eleven. The announcement of McCreary’s departure from the series comes at a pivotal time, as the popular ABC series recently said goodbye to star and executive producer Pompeo as a series regular and will weather the exit of showrunner Krista Vernoff (Shameless, Station 19) as the series awaits a season 20 renewal.
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, McCreary says, “After nine seasons, I am saying goodbye to Maggie Pierce and her Grey Sloan family. It has been a tremendous honor to be a part of such a legendary television institution as Grey’s Anatomy. I will always be grateful to Shonda Rhimes, Krista Vernoff and ABC for the opportunity, and to the incredible fans for their passionate support.” She goes on to say that, “playing Maggie Pierce has been one of the true joys of [her] life and [she leaves] with profound gratitude for every step of this journey.” She adds that she is “excited for this next chapter, and what the future holds.”
Pompeo bid her on-screen sister congratulations on her departure on Instagram, writing,
“Congratulations Kelly. Thanks so much for your super hard work and the valuable contributions you’ve made to the Grey’s legacy. Looking forward to your next chapter.”