A Grey’s Anatomy actress has spoken candidly about the circumstances that led to her exit from the series.
Sarah Drew joined the medical drama in 2009, stepping into the role of Dr April Kepner.
The show, which debuted in 2005, has remained a fixture on TV for more than two decades and has since been renewed for its 22nd season.
Set among the doctors and nurses working at Mercy West Hospital, the series has evolved significantly over the years, with major cast and storyline shifts along the way.
Over time, Drew became a regular presence and a popular character with viewers.
However, in 2018 during season 14, both Drew and co-star Jessica Capshaw exited the show, a move that caught many fans off guard.
Now, Drew has shared more detail about how her departure unfolded.
Appearing on the Women In The Nude podcast, she described the experience to host Sasha Pieterse and explained that she hadn’t anticipated leaving at that time.
She said the decision blindsided her.
“It was pretty brutal because it came out of nowhere… absolutely no idea,” she said.
Drew also recalled repeatedly asking for an explanation during the conversation about being written out, estimating she asked ‘why’ roughly 19 times.
According to her, the response she received was that the writers felt they had ‘run out of stories to tell’ for her character.
Even so, she said she ultimately tried to focus on what the job had meant to her, emphasizing how much she valued her years on the series.
“What I’ve come to realise is my nine years on the show was amazing and I never would have left if they hadn’t have written me off,” she said.
She added that while the moment itself was painful, the encouragement she received afterward—from colleagues as well as viewers—made a lasting impact.
“It was such a weird dichotomy because it hurt a lot in the moment but then the outpouring of love was so unbelievable and extraordinary from cast and crew,” she told the podcast.
“That was so exactly what I needed for that full circle closure. It was healing.”
Not long after leaving, Drew also earned an Emmy nomination for the Grey’s Anatomy short-form series B-Team.
Reflecting on that recognition in a 2018 interview with The Hollywood Reporter, she said: “The nomination after the fact made me go, ‘I don’t need to be worried about anything or have my confidence shaken’.”