Why Grey’s Anatomy killed off Derek Shepherd was explained by creator Shonda Rhimes

Because Patrick Dempsey’s character was such a key part of the medical drama, many fans were shocked to see Derek Shepherd, aka McDreamy, killed off in Gray’s Anatomy With a hearty death. Dempsey’s Dr. Shepherd was almost as synonymous with the show as Ellen Pompeo’s Meredith Grey, when the character unexpectedly died in Gray’s Anatomy Season 11. As the show’s original leading man, his and Meredith’s love story has been a pillar of medical drama storytelling for nearly a decade. Therefore, it was shocking when Derek unexpectedly died in a car crash, leaving many viewers devastated.

While Gray’s Anatomy Dempsey’s fatal accident has already had its fair share of deaths, ranking as one of the most gut-wrenching. It was also a big gamble for the series because it was unclear how fans would react to losing such an integral part of the series. Despite the controversial move, the show has continued on well beyond that moment with Gray’s Anatomy Season 20 on its way. However, even after all this time, fans still wonder why Derek left Gray’s Anatomy.

Why Patrick Dempsey left Grey’s Anatomy

Dempsey returned to the show for a guest role in season 17

Many Gray’s Anatomy Actors leave the show early, so it’s not surprising that there were questions about Patrick Dempsey leaving the show. Ultimately, Dempsey’s departure from the series was particularly controversial. The actor is still contracted for two years, which was supposed to last until the show’s season 12. The fact that Derek was written out of the series while the actor’s contract was still in effect resulted in murmurs from on-set Issues involving him.

At one point, Dempsey and Rhymes allegedly clashed, leading to the latter deciding to end Derek’s time on Gray’s Anatomy Suddenly. Afterwards, Dempsey cleared the air, saying that the decision to exit Gray’s Anatomy Has nothing to do with all the rumors. Instead, he initiated the move, explaining that he had been tinkering about leaving the medical drama for a long time before it actually happened. Dempsey did not discuss any issues with his co-workers.

Instead, his reason was personal, as he thought that being on a network show full-time was too time-consuming for him and had left him hardly any time to spend with his family. It is worth noting, however, that former executive producers James D. Parriott and Jeannine Renshaw later revealed in their book, How to Save a Life: The Inside Story of Grey’s Anatomy, That there was tension between Dempsey and Reams. However, it seems that everyone has moved on from it, as Dempsey returned to Gray’s Anatomy Season 17 for several episodes as part of Meredith’s COVID-19 arc.

What Grey’s Anatomy creator Shonda Rhimes says about Derek’s departure

The show found itself with nowhere else to go with the character

Despite the rumors of conflict, as well as Dempsey insisting he is ready to leave the show, Gray’s Anatomy Creator Shonda Rhimes has her own reasons for the storyline. Years after the horrific plot twist, Rhimes explains in her Masterclass Why They had no choice but to kill the character. She also discusses why Christina Yang was written off with a feel-good storyline. As Dempsey’s role, Sandra Oh Gray’s Anatomy Character was beloved, but at least she got a happy ending Gray’s Anatomy. Read her full quote below:

Derek Shepherd can’t quit Meredith Grey. He cannot leave and walk away from his wife and children because that would make him a fool forever. So storywise, he has to die, which is the worst but also the best possible story you can come up with that will make the entire storyline of these two characters come true. If he’s the man we said he is, he’s not going to leave unless he dies.

What Patrick Dempsey has been up to since leaving Grey’s Anatomy

Acting hasn’t been Dempsey’s only pursuit since leaving the show

Derek Shepherd is the kind of character that is so popular that Patrick Dempsey will likely always be associated with the role. However, after seeing Derek leave Gray’s AnatomyDempsey has kept busy with a lot of exciting roles in a variety of projects. After his departure from Gray’s AnatomyDempsey returned to another one of his most famous roles, playing Robert Philip in the Disney sequel Disenchanted Along with Amy Adams.

Dempsey played another love interest character, appearing in the sequel Bridget Jones’s Baby As Jack Qwant alongside Oscar winners Renée Zellweger and Colin Firth. Recently, he got to show off his horror movie skills, playing Sheriff Eric Newlon in Eli Roth’s Thanksgiving. He also starred as real-life race car driver Piero Taroffi in Michael Mann’s drama Ferrari.

The role in Ferrari is also tied to another passion of Dempsey’s that is outside of the acting world. Dempsey developed his interest in car racing into a second career with him competing as part of his own racing team, Dempsey Racing-Proton Team. He has competed in several prestigious races, including the 24-hours of Le Mans. Speaking about his draw to racing, Dempsey shared (via Porsche newsroom):

“Not much changes in my TV work, but everything changes constantly in motor racing – every lap, every bend and every moment.”

Source: Masterclass/TikTok