15 Grey's Anatomy Character Exits That Devastated Us, Ranked

After finalizing her divorce with Derek and fling with Alex, Addison realises there's not much going on for her in Seattle and decides to open her own practice in Los Angeles. Kate Walsh did return to Grey's a few times after season three and landed the lead role in the spinoff Private Practice, so we're not all that mad about her leaving.

After learning that she's been offered a position at MEDCOM, Owen fires Teddy in season eight . . . but she's back now! Teddy returns to Grey Sloan in season 14 when Megan Hunt is found. A few episodes later, she and Owen even share a moment in Germany that leads to her becoming pregnant with his child! So while we were sad to say goodbye so many years ago, we're just happy she's returned.

Brought in as Burke's replacement, Erica Hahn develops a romantic relationship with Callie, only to leave her at the beginning of season five. They first argue over the cardiothoracic surgeon's decision to report Izzie, then later Callie's uncertainty around her sexuality. It was nice having Brooke Smith on the show for a while. We were bummed out, but not devastated, to see her go.

After a nasty custody battle, Callie and Arizona eventually make up, and the latter agrees to joint custody. Callie moves to New York with Sofia and Penny, leaving us all devastated. While we're heartbroken over her exit, at least Sara Ramirez got to leave on her own terms after season 12. She hasn't come back yet, but we do hear her rendition of "The Story" in season 14's finale.

In season 14, Meredith encourages Nathan (Martin Henderson) to make things work with Megan after her unexpected return, and in the end, her advice sticks. He moves to California with Megan and her adopted son. He has a happy ending, so we have more happy tears for him than tragic ones.

Burke basically abandons Cristina at the altar and packs up all of his things when she returns to their apartment. Honestly, we cried more tears because of how Cristina takes his departure. Anyway, Isaiah Washington comes back in season 10 when Burke asks Cristina to take over his heart facility in Switzerland.

In the season 13 finale, Stephanie confronts an escaping rapist who tries to trap her and a young child while attempting to start a fire. The surgeon comes out alive, albeit with burns all over her body. Eventually, she quits her job to leave the hospital environment that she's been in all of her life due to her sickle-cell disease. Jerrika Hinton definitely receives a heroic departure, and even the most dry-eyed person has to admit that her farewell is an emotional one.

Arizona leaves Grey Sloan to be nearer to Callie for Sofia's sake. While her departure is sad, she gets a happy ending. The peds surgeon leaves Grey Sloan to open a women's health centre with Dr. Herman plus receives some flirty messages from Callie in the season 14 finale. It's not out of the realm of possibility for Jessica Capshaw to come back, but it's not likely.

Izzie (Katherine Heigl) gets fired from Seattle Grace and believes that Alex had caused her to lose her job. She leaves him, later returning after learning that he never did anything to her. She's free of cancer, and Alex is happy for her. Still, he decides to break things off between them for good, realising that he deserves better. This prompts Izzie to permanently leave Seattle. Her arc feels fizzled out right after her emotional cancer diagnosis throughout season five. At least Alex gets closure, right?

It still stings, but April receives an exit true to her character. Before she leaves Grey Sloan, we see the trauma surgeon slip into a crisis of faith after her ex-fiancé's wife dies in childbirth. And prior to her impromptu wedding with Matthew, April almost dies after falling into a ravine. While she doesn't die, the buildup to her departure cuts deep. Anyway, she has a happily-ever-after with Matthew, devoting her energies to helping the homeless in Seattle to do God's work. Sarah Drew won't likely drop by anytime soon, since she's busy working on CBS's Cagney & Lacey reboot.

McSteamy (Eric Dane) is one of the unfortunate victims of the plane crash, though he passes away only after getting transferred back to Seattle Grace. You can't be safe even when you're a character who's mostly there for giggles. Anyway, the plastic surgeon gives Jackson love advice before dying from his injuries. We later see Mark, Lexie, George, and Derek again, but only in ghost forms.

T.R. Knight didn't get all that much to do during his last season on Grey's, but George's death broke our hearts into smithereens. Just as he's about to leave Seattle Grace to take up a position in the US Army, George gets hit by a bus. Since he's disfigured, the doctors admit him as John Doe, only to later realise his true identity when he traces "007" into Meredith's hand. A few beats later, he's brain-dead.

We loved Little Grey, a sweet, guileless foil to her dark and twisty sister. Lexie (Chyler Leigh) suffers from a hemothorax during the horrific season eight plane crash and passes away after Mark tells her he loves her.

You know how in the Harry Potter fandom, people sob at "Always"? For Grey's fans, the trigger word is Derek. McDreamy and Meredith are just starting to get along after his stint in Washington when all of a sudden, he gets hit by a car. The understaffed hospital that admits him neglects a CT scan, and, as a result, he ends up brain-dead. It still hurts many seasons later.

Cristina doesn't greet the Grim Reaper, but her season 10 exit still shocked us all. Anyway, Preston approaches her to take over his innovative heart facility in Switzerland. Derek's death is sad, but losing Cristina is like losing a bit of the show's soul. Her relationship with Meredith made Grey's everything. At least she and Meredith get to dance it out one last time. Her return isn't out of the realm of possibility, but it hasn't happened yet. We do see a curly-haired woman next to Meredith at Derek's funeral, though.