Why did Patrick Dempsey leave Grey’s Anatomy?
Introduction
Spoiler alert: if you haven’t watched Grey’s Anatomy yet but are planning to, skip over most of this article.
We don’t want to be responsible for ruining what can end up being the best TV show you’ve ever seen.
There’s something about a Shonda Rhimes series that just gets us every time.
She’s a gifted writer with the ability to build characters that feel both incredibly realistic yet also very much fiction.
One of those shows is Grey’s Anatomy.
While there have been countless things that happened in the Grey’s universe since the show first aired in 2005 on ABC, nothing will ever hit us as hard as Derek’s death.
Sigh, McDreamy abruptly leaving the love of his life, Meredith, and his children will always haunt us.
But, behind that untimely and shocking death was the decision of actor Patrick Dempsey.
In this article, we’ll share what made him decide to leave the role that made him famous, and what he’s been up to since then.
Who is Patrick Dempsey?
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Patrick Dempsey is an American-born actor, producer, and race car driver.
He grew up in the state of Main and is the younger child of a school secretary and an insurance salesman.
He moved to Houston, Texas, during his high school years, where he lived until he graduated.
He’s a passionate race car driver and owns several vintage cars.
He considers his passion for driving not just a hobby but a part of who he is – just as much as acting.
He’s participated in several official professional races since he started competing in 2004.
His acting career, on the other hand, began much earlier than his racing one did. He first stepped foot into the entertainment industry as a stage actor in a production of Torch Song Trilogy.
After that came a few other theater productions and finally his first movie credit in 1987 when he was 21 years old.
Patrick has been married to his wife, Jillian, since 1999, and they share three children together.
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What is Grey’s Anatomy?
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If you have been living under a rock and have no idea what Grey’s Anatomy is, allow us to introduce you to one of the best medical shows there ever was.
The series follows a group of medical practitioners working at the Seattle Grace Hospital in the state of Washington.
While characters come and go, the main doctor we follow is Meredith Grey.
As the series progresses, she goes from an intern to a resident to an attending, all while she experiences love, friendship, loss, and life.
Meredith is a troubled person with an intense past filled with deceit, lies, and emotional abuse at the hands of her now sick mother.
Her choice to become a doctor was kind of imposed upon her but also very much chosen since the profession had run in her family for generations.
Her mother had been a gifted surgeon, and because her father had left during her childhood, she felt obligated to carry on her family legacy.
While during her years at Seattle Grace Hospital, she had lots of love interests, only one of them became important enough for her to have children with.
His name was Derek Sheperd (or McDreamy, which is how Meredith and her friend Christina Yang nicknamed him), and he was the person who allowed Meredith to somewhat heal from her trauma thanks to the constant support and love he always gave her.
However, Derek’s life was cut short when he died in an intense car accident in season 11.
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Why did Patrick Dempsey leave Grey’s Anatomy?
So, why did Patrick Dempsey leave Grey’s Anatomy? Patrick Dempsey left Grey’s Anatomy for the same reason any of us would leave a job after 10 years – he got tired of it.
While he’s been quoted as saying he absolutely loved the show, the character, and his colleagues, it did take up a lot of his professional and personal time.
It didn’t allow him much room to try out for other roles and expand his knowledge within his craft, and it also prevented him from spending time with his family.
Stepping away from his job as Derek Shepard allowed him to watch his children grow and strengthen his relationship with his partner.
What is the actor up to now?
After the freedom that came from leaving Grey’s Anatomy, Patrick was free to explore other job opportunities.
Since he’s left, he has been in several movies and TV shows like Bridget Jones’ Baby, where he played Jack Qwant.
He also was able to fulfill his dream of becoming a producer when he backed the 2019 box office hit The Art Of Racing In The Rain.
From 2020 to 2021, Dempsey portrayed Dominic Morgan in the TV series “Devils.”
He has several upcoming projects in the works in both TV and film that all his fans are excited to see.
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