Actress Kelly McCreary is departing ABC’s medical drama Grey’s Anatomy after nine years, according to US-based entertainment magazine Deadline.
McCreary plays Dr Maggie Pierce, Meredith Grey’s (Ellen Pompeo) half-sister and head of the hospital’s cardiothoracic surgery department, on the show since the end of Season 10.
The Baby, Baby, Baby actress took to Instagram to post a heartfelt farewell message. “9 seasons, 200 episodes, scores of heroic surgeries, countless brave patients, dozens of delightful sister house scenes, 1 episode with my real-life sister, some loss and some grief, a few ghostly visitations from mothers, a handful of boyfriends, 2 gorgeous weddings, a bunch of drunken emotional breakdowns, 1 high-speed chase, several awkward dinner parties, 1 punch taken (1 punch thrown), at least 1 pratfall, buckets of tears, innumerable fits of laughter, all the medical jargon mastered, a slew of friends for life, myriad collaborators who grew me as an artist, 1 grateful heart and 1 massive THANK YOU. What a ride! 🥹♥️🙏🏾,” she wrote.
McCreary’s last episode as a series regular will air on April 13. Like Pompeo, who is set to return for the Season 19 finale after Meredith’s big sendoff, Maggie also will pop in to visit the doctors of Grey Sloan later this season.
Known for her perfectionism and drive to be in control, Maggie was introduced in the penultimate episode of Season 10. In a finale bombshell, it was revealed an episode later that Maggie was the biological daughter of Richard Webber (James Pickens Jr.) and Meredith’s late mother Ellis Grey (Kate Burton).
McCreary returned in Season 11, starting off as a recurring and quickly getting promoted to a series regular. She has been a member of the core cast ever since, only taking a short break at the start of Season 18 in the fall of 2021 when she gave birth to her first child with director Pete Chatmon, whom she had met on the set of Grey’s Anatomy.
Actress Ellen Pompeo also took to Instagram to congratulate McCreary for her valuable contribution to the show. “Congratulations Kelly💚 Thanks so much for your super hard work and the valuable contributions you’ve made to the Grey’s legacy. Looking forward to your next chapter✨ Lots of love, EP,” she wrote.
