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Sadly, Jake Borelli is indeed leaving Grey's Anatomy

Jake Borelli has come a long way from being Glasses to being Schmitt. We'll say goodbye to him in Grey's Anatomy season 21, and we're not ready.

By Alexandria Ingham

GREYÕS ANATOMY - ÒThe Center WonÕt HoldÓ Ð Bailey finds herself in the middle of an argument with patientsÕ families as they await news about their children who were injured in a fire. Winston surprises Maggie, and Amelia and Link try to have some fun as new parents. Teddy learns her colleagues know more than she may like about her relationship woes with Owen, and Richard and Koracick go at it during the second hour of the ÒGreyÕs AnatomyÓ season 17 premiere, THURSDAY, NOV. 12 (10:01-11:00 p.m.
GREYÕS ANATOMY - ÒThe Center WonÕt HoldÓ Ð Bailey finds herself in the middle of an argument with patientsÕ families as they await news about their children who were injured in a fire. Winston surprises Maggie, and Amelia and Link try to have some fun as new parents. Teddy learns her colleagues know more than she may like about her relationship woes with Owen, and Richard and Koracick go at it during the second hour of the ÒGreyÕs AnatomyÓ season 17 premiere, THURSDAY, NOV. 12 (10:01-11:00 p.m. /
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We are not ready to lose Schmitt, but sadly, that’s happening in Grey’s Anatomy season 21. Jake Borelli will only be in a few episodes to set up his exit storyline.

The news broke of Borelli leaving the series during the 20th season. The good news was that we would have some time with the character in season 21. This would allow the writers time to craft an exit storyline that honors Schmitt.

Seven seasons of storylines on Grey’s Anatomy

Borelli has been on the show for seven seasons. The first two seasons saw him introduced as a recurring guest star, where he played a bumbling intern who allowed his glasses to fall off into a patient during the middle of a surgery. He earned the nickname Glasses from this, but he did prove himself to be a good doctor and lost that nickname over time.

For the last five seasons, he’s been a series regular. We’ve watched him grow as a gay man and gain acceptance from friends and family. His big love was Nico, who broke his heart and left. Shockingly, Nico turned back up during season 20 with a storyline that would involve him becoming a dad, much to Schmitt’s surprise.

JAKE BORELLI, ELLEN POMPEO in Grey's Anatomy
GREYÕS ANATOMY - ÒStronger Than HateÓ Ð A dinner party is thrown at the sister house in NickÕs honor. Meanwhile, Grey Sloan Memorial receives a victim of a brutal hate crime on a new episode of ÒGreyÕs Anatomy,Ó THURSDAY, MAY 19 (9:00-10:01 p.m. EDT), on ABC. (ABC/Liliane Lathan) JAKE BORELLI, ELLEN POMPEO /

The last couple of seasons have also seen him as Chief Resident, although he struggled with the pressure. He was just one who came back after his whole class was dismissed when Grey Sloan Memorial lost its teaching program and then gained it back. Eventually, Helm did come back as co-Chief Resident, easing some of the burden from Schmitt.

Schmitt has to rethink his future in season 21

Throughout season 20, Schmitt finally seemed to figure out which area of medicine he wanted to go in. He pushed to become a peds fellow, but then learned that he didn’t perform well enough in the ABSITE tests for that.

This does open the door for his exit. Maybe he could get a peds fellowship elsewhere, or maybe he could find another area of medicine that he is good at. He could even make a decision to leave medicine altogether.

It is going to be sad to see him go, though. He’s brought a human element to residency that other doctors haven’t been able to offer. We saw him crack as a doctor, with a lot of focus on his career rather than his personal life.

Of course, the big question for many people is why Jake Borelli is leaving. Is this the actor’s decision? It doesn’t look like it.

Grey’s Anatomy has a huge ensemble cast. It’s one of the biggest on network TV, and it means a high cost in the wage budget. The best way to reduce the wage budget is to start cutting down on the cast size.

Of course, this also has to coincide with storylines. Borelli’s Schmitt is at a crossroads in his career, which opens up for a creative exit. As long as it’s handled better than Justin Chambers’ exit and isn’t as traumatic as T.R. Knight’s exit, then we’ll just about accept it.

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