Grey’s Anatomy Loses Another Long-Time Series Regular

Kelly McCreary, who has been playing the role of Maggie Pierce for nine seasons of Grey’s Anatomy, is officially leaving Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital. Her surprise exit comes on the heels of Ellen Pompeo’s departure as a series regular from the medical drama. Her farewell episode is scheduled to premiere on April 13, though McCreary will still have a guest-star appearance in the Grey’s Anatomy Season 19 finale along with Pompeo’s Meredith Grey.

“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,” McCreary said in a statement (via Deadline). “I will always be grateful to Shonda Rhimes, Krista Vernoff, and ABC for the opportunity, and to the incredible fans for their passionate support. To spend nine years exploring a character inside and out, while reaching a global audience with impactful stories, is a rare gift. It has afforded me an opportunity to collaborate with, learn from, and be inspired by countless brilliant artists both in front of and behind the camera. Playing Maggie Pierce has been one of the true joys of my life and I leave with profound gratitude for every step of this journey. I am excited for this next chapter, and what the future holds.”

McCreary first appeared as Dr. Maggie Pierce during Season 10, where she joined Grey Sloan to become the new head of the Cardiothoracic department after Sandra Oh’s Cristina Yang vacated the position for a job opportunity in Switzerland. Later on, it was revealed that she is actually the love child of Dr. Richard Webber and Ellis Grey, making her Meredith’s maternal half-sister.

Grey’s Anatomy is a high-intensity medical drama following Meredith Grey and the team of doctors at Grey Sloan Memorial who are faced with life-or-death decisions daily. They seek comfort from one another and, at times, more than just friendship. Together they discover that neither medicine nor relationships can be defined in black and white.

The series currently stars Chandra Wilson as Miranda Bailey and James Pickens Jr. as Richard Webber, who are the remaining actors left from the original main cast of the first episode of the series. It also stars Kevin McKidd as Owen Hunt, Jesse Williams as Jackson Avery, Caterina Scorsone as Amelia Shepherd, and Camilla Luddington as Jo Wilson.

Grey’s Anatomy was created and is executive produced by Shonda Rhimes (Scandal, How to Get Away with Murder), with Krista Vernoff serving as the current showrunner. Betsy Beers (Scandal, How to Get Away with Murder), Mark Gordon (Saving Private Ryan), Krista Vernoff (Shameless), William Harper, Zoanne Clack, Debbie Allen, and Fred Einesman are executive producers. Grey’s Anatomy is produced by ABC Studios.