'Grey's Anatomy' Showrunner Says Kim Raver and Kevin McKidd Are out After Season 22

For some Grey's Anatomy fans, Kim Raver's exit is a shock after years with the medical drama. For others, it was a long time coming, given her character's repetitive storyline with her in-show ex-husband, Owen. But why did Kim Raver leave Grey's Anatomy in Season 22, and what did she, or the show's producers, say about her exit?

Kim isn't exactly an OG compared to some of the other longtime cast members of the show. However, she did join early on, in Season 6, and her storylines were centered around other main characters. It was only in the couple of seasons prior to Season 22 that her storylines about the ups and downs of marriage and divorce with Owen started to repeat themselves.

On March 25, 2026, Grey's Anatomy showrunner Meg Marinis announced in a statement through Shondaland, the show's production company, that both Kim and Kevin McKidd were leaving the show after Season 22. Meg said in her statement that "their story is coming to a close," which makes it sound like a creative decision.

However, budget cuts might be to blame for both actors' exits from the long-running ABC medical drama. According to Deadline, the number of episodes that each main cast member is guaranteed was cut in Season 21 and then again in Season 22. That could be why Kim and Kevin are leaving the show, but ABC has not confirmed this publicly.

Grey's Anatomy fans in a Reddit thread about both Kevin and Kim's exits agreed that the writers of the show have appeared to struggle to write compelling storylines for their characters. As a result, many believe Kim's exit from Grey's Anatomy and, by extension, Kevin's, are due to necessary cost-cutting measures to keep the series going.

Throughout most of Kevin and Kim's time on Grey's Anatomy, their respective storylines focused on their characters' relationship. In Season 22, viewers see Owen and Teddy work their way back to each other yet again. And, it seems, it's a way for writers to give the characters a proper sendoff and conclusion to their story.

Kim joined the Grey's Anatomy universe in Season 6, but Kevin was part of it even before she joined the cast. Kevin became a regular cast member in Season 5 as a trauma surgeon. In a way, that makes him almost as much of an OG as stars like Ellen Pompeo (Meredith) and Justin Chambers (Alex), though the latter left Grey's Anatomy after Season 16.

Kevin released a statement about his exit on Instagram and wrote that "this is goodbye…for now," seemingly referring to his character on the show.

"It's time to build something of my own from the ground up," he wrote. "To tell new stories, and take everything I've learned here into the next chapter. I'm really proud of what we've built."