Grey's Anatomy Drama Debunked: The Real Reason Sarah Drew Left the Show
For a show that has delivered drama to audiences around the world over 400 episodes, it's no surprise that a fair amount of scandal has taken place behind the scenes of Grey's Anatomy too.
Grey's fans have been shocked a few times by the events that conspire between the show's actors off camera, with a few incidents leading to their character being written off the show completely.
One of the biggest scandals involved the actor who played Preston Burke, who used a homophobic slur against another cast member, which led to his dismissal.
It came as no surprise that the news of another sudden departure from the show sparked theories among fans about whether something had gone on behind the scenes that led to her being let go. It became even more confusing when the actress in question, Sarah Drew, who played the beloved long-time favorite April Kepner, expressed her sadness over the decision and went on to explain that she had not had time to process everything. It was obviously not the way she had wanted things to go.
So what happened?
Her exit was clearly not by choice, and all sorts of rumors started circulating furiously online. Was there a fight? Was she pregnant? Did something go wrong? One of the most supported theories was that she was fired in order to support Ellen Pompeo's salary increase.
Producers however were quick to dismiss the speculation surrounding their decision and explained that April was written off to add new storylines to the narrative, essentially, they wanted to shake things up. They intended to head in a different direction with the show creatively and came to the conclusion that April no longer needed to be a part of the story.
In a statement, showrunner Krista Vernoff said, "As writers, our job is to follow the stories where they want to go, and sometimes that means saying goodbye to characters we love" (via The Hollywood Reporter). Vernoff further clarified the reason behind Drew's exit on Twitter, adding, "The decision to make changes to our cast was a creative one."
The saddest part about Sarah Drew being let go was the fact she wanted, more than anything, to stay. Over the last few seasons, fans have said goodbye to many other favorite characters, including Alex Karev and Callie Torres, but in their cases, the actors had made the decision to leave, be it for personal or professional reasons.
Was this the end for April Kepner?
In the same post that she announced her departure, Sarah Drew took a moment to assure fans that this would not be the last time they saw her character. April's story was not over.
Unlike many other characters who were killed off the show, the door was still open for April's character to make a return at a later stage, as she was still alive and working in Seattle. This proved to be the case when she and Jackson Avery returned for the season 18 finale, much to the delight of fans.