The following contains spoilers for Grey's Anatomy Season 19, Episode 14, "Shadow of Your Love," which debuted Thursday, April 13 on ABC.
After nearly nine seasons on Grey's Anatomy, Maggie Pierce's story came to an end. Played by Kelly McCreary, the talented Dr. Pierce accepted an opportunity in Chicago that took her away from Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital. On the bright side, Maggie will be conducting cutting-edge research in the field of cardiothoracic surgery -- a task befitting of such a gifted character.
Deadline announced that McCreary would be leaving Grey's Anatomy roughly a month ahead of her final episode. The announcement came not long after Meredith Grey's emotional farewell, in which Ellen Pompeo ended her run as a series regular and the show's lead. Losing Maggie was a big hit to the long-running medical drama, but it was especially difficult because it happened so soon after saying goodbye to Meredith. Why did Kelly McCreary leave the hit ABC show?
Who Was Maggie Pierce on Grey's Anatomy?
Kelly McCreary joined Grey's Anatomy as Maggie Pierce in Season 10 when Dr. Richard Webber hired her as Chief of Cardiothoracic Surgery. It was later revealed that Maggie was Meredith Grey's half-sister -- the biological daughter of Ellis Grey and Dr. Webber -- who had been put up for adoption. The show had previously established Ellis and Webber's past affair, but the revelation that Ellis had given birth to his child was a shock. Despite initial friction, Maggie formed heartfelt relationships with both Meredith and Webber. In addition to becoming a member of both Meredith and Webber's families, Maggie established strong friendships with the likes of Amelia Shepherd and married fellow cardio surgeon Winston Ndugu.
But beyond her relationships, Maggie was also an exceptional surgeon. She attended both Harvard and Oxford and successfully performed many complex surgeries, saving patients who would have died without her expertise. Maggie one of the top surgeons within her specialty, similar to Grey's Anatomy fan-favorite Addison Montgomery. On one of Maggie's last cases at Grey Sloan, she did a partial heart transplant on an infant -- something that had never been achieved before. The significant attention garnered from that surgery secured her the position that took her to Chicago, although it meant leaving Winston behind.
Why Kelly McCreary Left Grey's Anatomy
Unlike some previous Grey's Anatomy exits, Kelly McCreary left without drama. Deadline stated that McCreary had approached the producers about her “desire to leave and pursue other opportunities.” McCreary had nothing but gratitude for her time on Grey's, which she expressed in a farewell statement to Deadline, calling the opportunity to play Maggie Pierce a "tremendous honor."
After "Shadow of Your Love" aired, McCreary told TVLine that she thought Maggie's departure "honored her time at Grey Sloan and with the family that she had made there in such a beautiful way." Since her character was amicably written off rater than killed off like Derek Shepherd, there is room for McCreary to return as a guest star. Hopefully the next time viewers see Dr. Pierce, she will have made leaps and bounds in the field of cardiothoracic surgery.
Maggie Pierce was a lovable character, and many viewers were sad to see her leave Grey Sloan. That's because Kelly McCreary gave her all to Maggie's character. She will surely be an asset to her future projects. For now, viewers will just have to see how the doctors of Grey Sloan fare without Maggie for the rest of Season 19.