Cast exits are nothing new to Grey’s Anatomy fans, but no matter how many goodbyes the show has made us say over the years, losing beloved members of the Grey’s family is never easy. 

This season, fans are faced with saying goodbye to two beloved longtime members of the cast with word breaking ahead of the final episodes of season 22 that Kevin McKidd and Kim Raver would be leaving the show at the end of the season. The news shocked the fans, as it brings about an end to two of the longest-tenured cast members’ times on the show. 

Fans have already had to say goodbye to Raver’s Dr. Teddy Altman once before as Raver exited the series after season 8, following a three-season run on the show, before returning years later in season 14. Her second exit stings just as equally as the first, but it’s somewhat less shocking given she’s previously left the show. The same cannot be said for McKidd’s Dr. Owen Hunt. 

Owen has had a complicated run on the show, but he’s one of the longest-tenured members of the cast, having joined the show in season 5. In fact, outside of original stars Ellen Pompeo, Chandra Wilson, and James Pickens Jr, no other current cast member has been with the show longer than McKidd. Owen has taken fans on quite a ride in the last 18 seasons, one filled with ups and downs, but he’s been one of the rare constants fans could always count on: that he would be there in the end. 

Sadly, Owen’s time at Grey Sloan finally ends in the season 22 finale, and the decision was not one taken lightly by anyone connected to the show. However, as McKidd has revealed, his decision to step away from the show was one that felt right. In his own words, it was time to do other things. 

“It just felt like the right time. 18 years is a long time to do one thing. I came on the show as a guest star and then stayed for a few years and was with Sandra Oh and then stayed once Sandra left. Now I turn around and look and go, “How did 18 seasons go by?” There comes a time when you have to do other things, and now’s that time,” McKidd told ABC News in an interview ahead of the season 22 finale on May 7. 

While it was time to step away, McKidd noted that he’s not leaving Grey’s Anatomy entirely, as he has plans to continue directing on the show. In fact, he even directed his final episode as Owen Hunt. 

“I’m going to continue to direct on the show, so I’m going to be back but kind of in a different role, more behind the scenes. I directed the finale. That was a really big episode, so I directed my own exit from the show. That kind of felt fitting and nice and kind of empowering to do that,” McKidd revealed. 

When asked about the feeling of directing his own departure, McKidd admitted that it was a wild experience and things didn’t sink in until the very end.  

“When you’re directing the show, time is very tight and so you prep and you have to execute. It was a big episode. This bridge collapse and all the elements that went into that, so I was very focused on the task at hand. It was really only on that last night when we wrapped up and everybody started to cheer and people gave me letters and notes and gifts that it started to sink in. 

Fans will get to see how Owen’s journey on the show comes to an end via the season 22 finale, but McKidd is already looking ahead to his next chapter. In addition to plans to return to direct additional episodes of Grey’s Anatomy, McKidd has already booked his first new show and will lead the cast of the new ITV four-part thriller series The Only Suspect, which is officially in pre-production.

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