'Grey's Anatomy' Fans Raise Over $1K to Fly Banner in Support of Sarah Drew and Jessica Capshaw

Grey's Anatomy fans are still showing their support for Sarah Drew and Jessica Capshaw, who are [...]

By Daniel S. Levine

Grey's Anatomy fans are still showing their support for Sarah Drew and Jessica Capshaw, who are leaving Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital at the end of this season. They raised over $1,000 for a banner to fly over Los Angeles in an effort to get them to stay.

In just seven days, a GoFundMe page started by fan Lyndsey Kleigman reached its goal, raising $1,050 from 73 donations. Kleigman pointed out that fans of The Young & The Restless flew a banner over CBS studios in 2011, successfully begging them to keep Daniel Goodard on the show. She thinks Grey's fans can do the same to keep Drew and Capshaw on the show.

"After researching, I found that to fly an aerial banner in Los Angeles, it costs at least $810 for 15 minutes flying time over Prospect Studios. Another 15 minutes costs an additional $150, which is why I have set the goal at $1000," Kliegman wrote. "Any extra money raised will be donated to a charity that both Sarah and Jessica support."

Capshaw spotted the banner and thanked fans on Twitter.

"OMG. There is a plane carrying a banner that says.. WE [heart] SARAH DREW & JESSICA CAPSHAW right now... There are no words...WE ❤[heart] YOU ALL!!" she wrote.

Drew also shared a photo of the banner, and posted an image of the two actresses looking up to see it.

"When you break for lunch and you see that your fans have organized a plane to fly over your studio carrying a banner to show their love," Drew wrote. "I mean— WOW! It's difficult to put into words how moved [Capshaw] and I are by you all. Thank you so much!"

Grey's co-star Jesse Williams also posted a video of the plane flying over. "Our fans are the iLLest," he wrote.

Capshaw and Drew's departure from the show has not come without controversy. Although the show's producers and star Ellen Pompeo insist it was just a creative decision, some suspected it had to do with Pompeo's salary increase. Pompeo has strongly denied that. Pompeo was even accused of being disrespectful to Drew and Capshaw on Twitter.

"It's always hard for me to say goodbye to any of my characters," Grey's Anatomy creator and executive producer Shonda Rhimes said in a statement. "Both Arizona Robbins and April Kepner are not only beloved but iconic — both the LBGTQ and devout Christian communities are underrepresented on TV. I will be forever grateful to both Jessica and Sarah for bringing these characters to life with such vibrant performance and for inspiring women around the globe. They will always be a part of our Shondaland family."

"The decision to make changes to our cast was a creative one," Grey's showrunner Krista Vernoff tweeted. "The only thing as constant on Grey's Anatomy as Ellen Pompeo is our penchant for reinvention. It is a part of our success and what keeps the show exciting. We love these actresses and we love these characters and it felt true and right creatively to wrap up their stories. And that is the whole story."

Drew will be back on TV in CBS' upcoming Cagney & Lacey reboot.

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