The newest episode of Grey’s Anatomy ended with a beloved couple calling it quits — at the same time that Simone made a decision not to continue with her pregnancy.
During the Thursday, October 22, episode of the hit ABC medical drama, Wes (Trevor Jackson) found out that Simone (Alexis Floyd) was pregnant. While it wasn’t clear whether Wes or Lucas (Niko Terho) was the dad, Simone realized she wanted to prioritize her career and not become a mom.
The episode also showed Kwan (Harry Shum Jr.) making moves to come back to work while Jo (Camilla Luddington) was adjusting to life at home after quitting. There were also issues between Jules (Adelaide Kane) and Winston (Anthony Hill). His new position put him in charge of the interns, and his concern about showing favoritism toward Jules led to the duo deciding they wouldn’t be able to make it work.
Meanwhile, Ellen Pompeo made another appearance as Meredith. She was previously in the premiere after scaling back her role throughout the years. The last time fans saw the fan-favorite character, she had gotten engaged to Nick Marsh (Scott Speedman). The fictional couple live in Boston, however, so Meredith has been in and out of the show since season 19.
Pompeo, 56, is nonetheless booked and busy after Deadline confirmed in June that she will appear in and executive produce Hulu‘s Chicks. The family comedy drama is based on an original idea from writer Katie Robbins, who developed the concept “specifically” for Pompeo. It was inspired by conversations between the two on the set of their first show together, Hulu’s Good American Family.
Pompeo began playing Meredith in 2005 when Grey’s Anatomy premiered on ABC. After hinting at her exit for years, Pompeo confirmed in September 2022 that she would have a reduced role for season 19.
“I’m going to always be a part of that show,” she told Deadline at the time. “I’m an executive producer. I spent two decades of my career on [Grey’s Anatomy] — it’s my heart and soul. I’ll never truly be gone as long as [it’s] on the air.”
The actress starred in eight episodes that season before exiting the show as a series regular in 2023. “I’m only going to Boston, and you know, I’ll probably be here next week,” Meredith told her friends and coworkers before boarding a plane with her three children.
Grey’s Anatomy recently reduced the minimum guarantees for its veteran cast members to 14 out of the show’s 18 episodes per season. Some fan favorites didn’t appear in as many as four episodes each while Caterina Scorsone‘s absence was doubled after her character, Amelia Shepherd, chose to take a sabbatical and Kim Raver and Kevin McKidd later exited the show.
Grey’s Anatomy airs on ABC Thursdays at 10 p.m. ET before streaming the next day on Hulu.
