3 Questions I Have After Justin Chambers’ Exit on ‘Grey’s Anatomy’

Grey’s Anatomy fans were shocked to learn last week that original cast member and fan favorite Justin Chambers would be leaving the show. He was last seen in Grey’s Anatomy‘s 350th episode, which aired November 14, and according to Deadline, that was likely his last episode on the show for the foreseeable future.

“There’s no good time to say goodbye to a show and character that’s defined so much of my life for the past 15 years,” Chambers said in a statement to Deadline. “For some time now, however, I have hoped to diversify my acting roles and career choices. And, as I turn 50 and am blessed with my remarkable, supportive wife and five wonderful children, now is that time.”

Given the fact that his final episode has apparently already aired, it’s safe to assume that I, and many other hardcore Grey’s Anatomy fans, are left with many questions. Here are the 3 biggest ones that I have:

How will they write him out?

As mentioned above, the last we saw of Chambers’ Karev was in Grey’s Anatomy 350th episode, which aired November 14. A week later, in the midseason finale, Jo mentioned in an off-hand comment that Alex went home to take care of his ailing mother. I didn’t really think much of it at the time, but now that we have full context on the situation, I refuse to believe that this is how they’re writing out one of the OG characters.

So with that being said, how do they write him out? Honestly, I’m not really sure. I would hate for them to kill him off, and I don’t think they would ever do that. But an off-hand comment explaining his absence is unsatisfying. It is completely unacceptable that a character who has been there from the beginning will have left with no fanfare or farewell. If this is really how they are leaving his storyline, it might be one of the worst exits on television I’ve ever seen. Justin Chambers and Alex Karev both deserved better.

What happens to Jo?

Kind of going off of that, what happens with Jo? If I’m being honest, Alex and Jo’s relationship was a big reason I’ve stayed as loyal to Grey’s Anatomy as I have for all of these years. I’ve loved them together ever since she didn’t take any of Alex’s shit back when she was an intern in season 9. And I was thrilled when they got married at the end of season 14 — and made it officially official this season.

Now that Alex is gone for good, will they stay married and Jo will just occasionally mention how Alex and his mom are doing? Will Jo leave too? Will they get a divorce? 

I hope that Jo doesn’t leave, because I’ve really grown to love her character after all of these seasons and I do think she could stand just fine on her own independent of Alex. But I also hope they don’t ruin Jolex’s legacy by just having them get a divorce when they were in such a strong place leading up to his exit.

What happens to Pac North?

Once Alex got fired from Grey Sloan, he became the chief of surgery at Pac North. He put in a lot of effort to turn this dump into a respectable medical institution, including undergoing a huge renovation and even getting Webber and Hunt to join him. 

So now that Alex is gone, what happens to Pac North? Will it continue to be a part of the show or will it just silently go away for good? If the former, will Webber and Hunt stay now that Karev is gone or will both of them somehow magically get re-hired at Grey Sloan? My hunch says that they will both end back up at Grey Sloan before season 16 is over, but only time will tell.

What do you think about Justin Chambers leaving the show? Let me know in the comments below!