‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Showrunner Reveals Why She Never Considered Eliminating Justin Chambers’ Character

Published on April 14, 2020.

Grey’s Anatomy‘s showrunner revealed the reason why she did not see killing-off Justin Chambers’ character, Alex Karev, as a viable option.

“At the end of the day, there were three choices,” Krista Vernoff told TVLine in an interview published on Thursday, April 9. “[Eliminate] Alex off camera; have Alex be alive and in Seattle — and still married to Jo — and we just never see him; or [reunite him] with Izzie.”

Want the Top 5 news stories of the day delivered straight to your inbox before you even wake up? Sign up for the Fame10 Top 5 newsletter and receive 5 breaking news stories every morning!

Essentially, Vernoff decided the third option was the best one. She told the outlet that she felt killing-off Alex would have been“cruel to everyone — particularly Meredith and Jo,” referring to Ellen Pompeo and Camilla Luddington’s respective characters on the medical drama series.

“There was no way to not put those characters through gut-wrenching, ongoing grief if we had [eliminated] Alex off camera,” she added. “Some fans were upset, particularly the Jolex shippers, that [Alex left Jo to be with Izzie] — and I understand why. But I would fight real hard anyone who tried to tell me that fans would not have been equally or more upset if I had [eliminated] Alex Karev off camera.”

The executive producer worried that having Alex remain in Seattle and married to Jo “would absolutely eliminate [the chance for her to play] so many colors that she is so good at playing.” In the end, there was not “even a debate in the writers’ room” about going with the third option.

In January, Chambers announced that he was exiting the ABC medical drama after 16 seasons.

“There’s no good time to say goodbye to a show and character that’s defined so much of my life for the past 15 years,” he said in a statement at the time. “For some time now, however, I have hoped to diversify my acting roles and career choices. And, as I turn 50 and am blessed with my remarkable, supportive wife and five wonderful children, now is that time.”