Jesse Williams Exiting Grey’s Anatomy
ABC’s longtime primetime drama Grey’s Anatomy is losing yet another veteran actor. TVGrapevine just learned that actor Jesse Williams, who played Jackson Avery for the past eleven seasons, is leaving the show at the end of the season. Deadline was the first outlet to break the news and it was then picked up by other news sites, including Variety.
Both ABC and Jesse released statements to the media.
ABC’s Statement:
“Jesse Williams is an extraordinary artist and activist,” showrunner Krista Vernoff said in her statement. “Watching his evolution these past 11 years both on screen and off has been a true gift. Jesse brings so much heart, such depth of care, and so much intelligence to his work. We will miss Jesse terribly and we will miss Jackson Avery — played to perfection for so many years.”
Jesse’s statement:
“I will forever be grateful for the boundless opportunities provided me by Shonda, the network, studio, fellow cast mates, our incredible crew, Krista, Ellen and Debbie. As an actor, director and person, I have been obscenely lucky to learn so much from so many and I thank our beautiful fans, who breathe so much energy and appreciation into our shared worlds. The experience and endurance born of creating nearly 300 hours of leading global television is a gift I’ll carry always. I am immensely proud of our work, our impact and to be moving forward with so many tools, opportunities, allies and dear friends.”
Jesse’s final appearance on the show will be during the show’s season finale, titled Tradition, on May 20th. There is no word as of now as to how he will be written out of the series.
TVGrapevine wishes Jesse luck on his future endeavors.
Grey’s Anatomy airs 8pm on Thursdays, only on ABC.
