Grey's Anatomy season 21 cast exits explained (plus meet the new doctors coming to Grey Sloan)

The 21st season of Grey's Anatomy is off to a thrilling start with a slate of new doctors coming in and sadly, some getting ready to say farewell. Find out who is going and coming through the doors of Grey Sloan Memorial below!
2023 Sentinel Awards
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It is hard to believe that we are already in the 21st season of Grey's Anatomy. Over the last 19 years, we have seen this series go through so many wild and dynamic changes between the characters and the storylines.

With a series that has been running for so long, changes are always an essential part of its DNA, and we've seen these changes happen through every single season. This is why season 21 is no exception and has already, heading into the midseason finale, had some character changes. Some of these have already happened, while some are on the cusp of happening so without further ado, let's talk about all the cast exits and the new doctors that have entered the world of Grey Sloan Memorial.

Jason Winston George
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Returning: Jason George as Ben Warren

If you have been following Dr. Ben Warren (Jason George) since he first started on Grey's Anatomy back in season 6, you know that he has had one wild journey. In season 18, Ben leaves his surgical residency behind and opts for the firefighter life. This meant transitioning him from Grey's Anatomy to Station 19. However, the series came to a close in 2024 with its seventh and final season, which meant Dr. Ben Warren needed to figure out what came next.

Towards the final episodes of Station 19, Ben started leaning on a lot of his medical knowledge and realizing these skills were still very much a part of him. With the series coming to a close, it made natural sense for this character to transition back to Grey's Anatomy, where Dr. Ben Warren is now a series regular character and resuming his surgical residency.

It's been a treat to have Ben back in the fold, and also watch his new dynamic with his wife Dr. Bailey (Chandra Wilson) who is his boss. It's definitely one of my favorite relationships on the series, so welcoming Dr. Ben back has been amazing and I hope to see more of their story unfold as he gets back to his passion for the medical world!

Kali Rocha
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Returning: Kali Rocha as Sydney Heron

A blast from the past indeed! Longtime fans may remember Kali Rocha, aka Dr. Sydney Heron, from scattered episodes of seasons 2-4. At that time, she temporarily stepped into Dr. Bailey's role as the supervisor of the clinic, which ironically brings her back for the latest return. After all the hoopla of season 20, Dr. Heron returns to step into the role of Chief, once again taking over for Bailey after she was fired.

As of this writing, Heron's three-episode arc has come to an end, and the reins are back in Bailey's hands (luckily!). However, it was fun to see Heron return after being a somewhat integral part of the story when she first appeared in Grey's Anatomy and tried to fight for the role of Chief against Callie (Sara Ramirez). It's been a long gap, but we certainly enjoyed Heron's return—perhaps she will be back again in the near future!

Jake Borelli
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Leaving: Jake Borelli as Dr. Levi Schmitt

It was back in season 14 that Dr. Levi Schmitt (Jake Borelli) joined the world of Grey Sloan and forever changed our lives. He quickly became fan-favorite as a new intern, and in the seasons since then, fans have watched Levi rise through the ranks of the hospital.

It's not always been easy, and things were touch and go for a while as Levi contended with continuing to be a doctor at some point. However, that is all in the past, because things are changing for Dr. Schmitt in season 21. In the most recent episode, fans said farewell to him as he set his eyes on moving to Houston, Texas.

Thanks to Dr. Monica Beltran (Natalie Morales), Schmitt got a job in pediatric research since he was not able to get a peds fellowship with Grey Sloan due to those pesky ABSITE scores. Even though Bailey and Richard (James Pickens Jr.) offer him a pretty stellar role at Grey Sloan as an attending, Schmitt decides to follow his heart and jet off to pursue pediatrics. He also has a new love interest who decided to leave with him but more on this fleetingly new character in just a bit.

It was an emotional goodbye in the most recent episode, however, the door is open for future returns—or at least we hope so!

Midori Francis
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Leaving: Midori Francis as Yasuda

I must say that this new intern class has been my favorite in a long time, and my favorite one of them all is Dr. Yasuda, played by Midori Francis. She has been such a delight and honestly, I am so bummed she is leaving.

While her official exit has not happened as of yet, the foundation has been sent for her exit. After falling asleep at the wheel following a night shift, Yasuda gets in a collision. Sadly, her sister Chloe is in the car with her, and both sustain awful and life-threatening injuries.

The doctors at Grey Sloan manage to save Yasuda's life, however, Chloe passes away due to all the complications that she had, including receiving cancer treatment just prior to the accident. At the end of the most recent episode, Bailey tells Yasuda that her sister has died, so there is only one possible scenario that will lead Yasuda out of the series--grief and time to heal.

Since that episode has not yet aired, we don't know how this will play out, but based on that episode ending, I can only imagine what is in store.

Michael Thomas Grant
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New: Michael Thomas Grant asJames

Michael Thomas Grant joined Grey's Anatomy season 21 as a new character and Grey Sloan's, new “openly gay Episcopal” chaplain. Very quickly, he had an effect on Dr. Schmitt, and the two started a romance after some brief back and forth.

It came at a time that Schmitt began contemplating making career moves, and eventually, when Schmitt got the job in Houston, the couple had to decide to do long-distance, or make the move together. In a beautiful romantic gesture, James decides to quit his job at Grey Sloan and follow Schmitt to Houston.

We are so here for this romance, even though we won't get to see it on-screen anymore! Sorry we didn't get to see more of you James, but we are rooting for your love story!

Sophia Bush
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New: Sophia Bush as Dr. Cass Beckman

We love Sophia Bush, don't we? She is also playing a new character on Grey's Anatomy this season, a trauma surgeon named Dr. Cass Beckman, although we've only seen her once so far. She's already made quite a splash after meeting Teddy (Jim Raver) and Owen (Kevin McKidd) and revealing to Teddy that she and her husband have an open marriage.

She shared this with Teddy at a time when she and Owen are struggling, so it doesn't bode well, especially after Cass kisses Teddy during a misunderstood moment. Like I said, she's created some controversy already, so I'm excited to see what things will look like when she officially becomes a part of the Grey's Anatomy fold at Grey Sloan.