Grey’s Anatomy star Ellen Pompeo as Meredith Grey in an image from the ABC hit

All the Signs ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Will End With Season 19

Here are all the signs that Grey's Anatomy will end with season 19, after more than 400 episodes on the air.

by Perry Carpenter

Published on January 28, 2023

2 min read

‘Grey’s Anatomy’ just had a major behind-the-scenes shakeup

It was just announced that longtime Grey’s Anatomy showrunner and executive producer Krista Vernoff will be stepping down at the end of season 19.

According to E! News, Vernoff was the head writer and EP for the first seven seasons. She left for a few years, but then returned to her current role at the start of season 14. She also took over as EP for the spinoff Station 19 at the start of season 3, but she is also stepping down from that role.

“It has been the privilege of a lifetime to be entrusted to run Grey’s Anatomy for the past six years and Station 19 for the last four,” Vernoff said in a statement. “The passion of the dedicated fandoms and the impact that these shows have on hearts and minds cannot be overstated.”

Another sign that season 19 is the end — Ellen Pompeo is saying goodbye

Of course, the biggest sign that season 19 will be the last for Grey’s Anatomy is the exit of Ellen Pompeo. One of the last remaining OG cast members, Pompeo has played the role of Meredith Grey since the pilot. But, she announced in late 2022 that she would be moving on to other projects.

“I’m 53. My brain is like scrambled eggs. I gotta do something new, or I’m literally gonna turn into, like, you can’t do the New York Times crossword puzzle every single day,” the actress told Entertainment Tonight.

“I mean, 19 years, that’s more than people keep their kids in their house, like people keep their kids in their house until they’re 18 and then they send them off to college. So this is like me like going away to college.”‘

‘Grey’s Anatomy’ isn’t over just yet

The exits of both Vernoff and Pompeo would seemingly make season 19 the perfect time to bring Grey’s Anatomy to an end. But ABC hasn’t made any announcements yet. In fact, Pompeo is staying on as series narrator and executive producer. And, she promised fans she would be back for the finale.

Simran Sethi, the Executive Vice President, Content and Strategy for ABC Entertainment, told Deadline that as long as people are watching, they will keep making episodes of Grey’s Anatomy.

“No decisions have been made at this time, but we hope to be in business with Shondaland for a really long time,” she told the outlet in October 2022.

There is also someone waiting in the wings to take over for Vernoff. Meg Marinis, who has “been on the show since the very beginning, rising from a researcher all the way to executive producer,” is next in the succession line.