[This story contains spoilers for the Oct. 16 episode of Grey’s Anatomy, “We Built This City.”]
For Grey’s Anatomy viewers left wondering after Thursday night’s episode if beloved Dr. Amelia Shepherd has truly taken a leave of absence from Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital, the answer is both bad and good: Yes, veteran star Caterina Scorsone is indeed taking a hiatus from the ABC hit medical series, but she will return.
The Hollywood Reporter has learned that Amelia is indeed going on a sabbatical, as she announced at the end of the Oct. 16 episode, which was the landmark 450th episode of the show. She won’t be seen again until episodes in 2026.
The storyline comes following the season 22 premiere, where Amelia was rocked by the death of fellow doctor Monica Beltran, played by Natalie Morales, who was the sole casualty in the season opener after last season’s cliffhanger finale when the hospital was hit with an explosion. Amelia and Monica were on the verge of exploring a romantic relationship, and the loss sent her into a depression that played out with her onscreen family this week: sister-in-law Meredith Grey, played by star/executive producer Ellen Pompeo, and MaggiePierce (exited castmember Kelly McCreary, who returned for Thursday’s episode).
When speaking last week about the season premiere, showrunner Meg Marinis told THR that she picked Monica as the explosion victim partially to explore how the death will impact Amelia.
“While Amelia was so centered in that storyline at the end of last season with Piper [Perabo]’s character and with the child [in the season 21 finale], I wanted for us to believe that everything was kind of OK for Amelia after we saved Link’s [Chris Carmack] life. I also really wanted to deliver consequences of Amelia taking on all these impossible surgeries,” she said of Amelia also almost losing her ex, Link. “As Amelia mentions in the episode, she lost her father at a very young age and that really propelled the way her life went.”
Scorsone has been on Grey’s Anatomy since first appearing in a guest role in season seven in 2010, and became a main cast member in 2014’s season 11. She was also a regular on Grey’s spinoff Private Practice from 2010-13.
Deadline was first to report the news.
