Grey's Anatomy Is Losing Its Title Character

Grey's Anatomy is losing its Grey. Ellen Pompeo, who plays the show's title character Meredith Grey, is exiting after 19 seasons. The Nov. 10 fall finale found her making a decision to move to Boston, and in a teaser for the Feb. 23 return of the show, she is seen leaving Seattle. That will indeed be her final appearance on the show as a regular cast member, BuzzFeed reports, though Deadline reported last week that she's expected to be back for the season finale. She'll also still provide the voiceover narration for the rest of this season, and may continue to do so on an ongoing basis. The show hasn't officially been renewed for a 20th season but is expected to be.

Former Grey's cast members often return as guests, and Pompeo herself suggested she'll be doing just that in the future when she said goodbye to fans on Instagram. "This isn’t your first time on the rollercoaster… you know the show must go on and I’ll definitely be back to visit." Series creator Shonda Rhimes did the same: "This isn’t a goodbye, it’s a see ya later! Can’t wait to see what’s in store for Ellen, Meredith and Grey Sloan Memorial." The series is down to just two remaining original cast members: Chandra Wilson (Dr. Miranda Bailey) and James Pickens Jr. (Dr. Richard Webber). Next up for Pompeo: She's executive producing and starring in a limited series for Hulu inspired by this bizarre real-life adoption story, per Us. (More Ellen Pompeo stories.)