Grey's Anatomy showrunner issues statement on Alex Karev's exit
George O'Malley. Izzie Stevens. Meredith Grey. Cristina Yang. Alex Karev. When Grey's Anatomy began, those were Dr. Bailey's interns, the group of young doctors we would watch every week as they fell in love with attendings, fell in love with each other, enjoyed many a tension-filled elevator ride, and made mistakes inside and outside of the operating room. But as the years went on, we lost them. George died. Izzie left. Cristina moved to Switzerland. And then there were two: Meredith and Alex. And although Alex didn't start out as a reliable friend, he became Mer's new "person," and eventually, a husband to Jo. At least until Justin Chambers announced his exit from the series.
Back in January, Chambers revealed that he wouldn't be returning to the long-running drama and that his final episode has already aired. But seeing as how Alex's final scene wasn't anywhere near what fans would consider a goodbye, Grey's Anatomy announced that this week's episode would finally answer the question of what happened to Alex Karev.
And it did just that: In a handful of letters, Alex revealed that he recently reconnected with Izzie, who secretly used their embryos to have twins five years ago. Now, Alex is living on a farm in Kansas with Izzie and their two kids, and as he puts it, "I'm finally exactly where I should be."
In regards to Alex's goodbye, showrunner Krista Vernoff has released a statement about the hour:
“It is nearly impossible to say goodbye to Alex Karev. That is as true for me and for all of the writers at Grey’s Anatomy as it is for the fans. We have loved writing Alex. And we have loved watching Justin Chambers’ nuanced portrayal of him. For 16 seasons, 16 years, we have grown up alongside Alex Karev. We have been frustrated by his limitations and we have been inspired by his growth and we have come to love him deeply and to think of him as one of our very best friends. We will miss him terribly. And we will always be grateful for his impact, on our show, on our hearts, on our fans, on the world."
Additionally, ABC put together a retrospective look at Alex's time on the show, which you can watch in full below.
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