Jesse Williams is Leaving ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ After 11 Years
After 11 years and 12 seasons as Grey Sloan’s heartthrob plastic surgeon, Jackson Avery, Grey’s Anatomy fans bid Jesse Williams farewell.
Warning: This article contains spoilers for Season 17 of Grey’s Anatomy.
Although the season is coming to an end on June 3, 2021, Jesse Williams—who played Dr. Jackson Avery—announced his departure from the medical series. The farewell episode is set to premiere on May 20 and is titled “Tradition.”
Williams, who is an activist, actor, director, and recently produced the Academy Award-winning short film, Two Distant Strangers, made a statement to Deadline in regards to his exit from the ABC medical drama, commenting:
“I will forever be grateful for the boundless opportunities provided me by Shonda, the network, studio, fellow castmates, our incredible crew, Krista, Ellen, and Debbie,” Williams stated, referring to the show’s creator, Shonda Rhimes, current showrunner, Krista Vernoff, Ellen Pompeo, who plays Dr. Meredith Grey, and executive producer, Debbie Allen.
These three. 🥺 Shout-out to @msdebbieallen for directing such an incredible episode! pic.twitter.com/pagO4qescj
— Greys Anatomy (@GreysABC) May 9, 2021
The actor went on to add, “As an actor, director, and person, I have been obscenely lucky to learn so much from so many and I thank our beautiful fans, who breathe so much energy and appreciation into our shared worlds. The experience and endurance born of creating nearly 300 hours of leading global television is a gift I’ll carry always. I am immensely proud of our work, our impact, and to be moving forward with so many tools, opportunities, allies, and dear friends.”
“Fingers crossed for new horizons.” #GreysAnatomy @sarahdrew pic.twitter.com/aMNec3bnpn
— Greys Anatomy (@GreysABC) May 7, 2021
Season 17 of Grey’s Anatomy has been a rollercoaster, giving fans the reunions they have been asking for and many tear-jerking moments—including the adored Dr. Andrew DeLuca (Giacomo Gianniotti) dying in March. The season mainly revolved around the COVID-19 pandemic. The main character, Dr. Meredith Grey, spent most of the season in a coma because of the virus, creating the opportunity for beloved characters who died in earlier seasons to join Meredith on the beach as a part of a dream sequence. Fans were overjoyed to welcome George O’Malley (T.R. Knight), Mark Sloan (Eric Dane), Lexie Grey (Chyler Leigh), and of course, McDreamy—Derek Shepherd (Patrick Dempsey).
#Japriet forever. pic.twitter.com/9Rd5m57SM8
— Greys Anatomy (@GreysABC) May 8, 2021
In the May 6 episode (“Look Up Child”), Jackson Avery reunited with April Kepner, played by Sarah Drew, who made her exit from the series at the end of season 14. The pair had an on-again-off-again romance filled with joy and heartbreak up until Drew’s departure in 2018. After much anticipation and desperation for fans to see ‘Japril’ reunited, Sarah Drew made a guest appearance to help give a proper send-off for Jackson. Jackson will be leaving the fictional Seattle hospital with April and their three-and-a-half-year-old daughter, Harriet, to take over his family foundation in Boston in hopes of fighting for equality in medicine. Following the episode, ABC aired the promo for Jackson’s exit:
Williams’ final episode will air Thursday, May 20 at 9|8c on ABC.
