Justin Chambers’ Final ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Episode Has Already Aired and Fans Are so Confused

It was reported on Friday, Jan. 10 that Justin Chambers was leaving Grey’s Anatomy after starring as Alex Karev 15 years, and it appears that his final episode has already aired. Chambers was last seen in the series’ 350th episode on Nov. 14, but was absent from the midseason finale later that month.

The episode was reportedly Chambers’ last for the foreseeable future, and some fans are upset that they didn’t know it was the actor’s last appearance. During the Nov. 14 episode, Chambers returned home to care for his mother after stepping in to help save Meredith’s career, so it seems he won’t be getting a big send-off moment like so many Grey’s characters have had.

“Wait, what? Why wouldn’t he get a proper goodbye after so many years?” one person tweeted.

Another wrote, “Wait so you mean to tell me every other Grey’s Anatomy character got to leave by being written out and Alex, who is an original character from the beginning, vanishes into thin air?”

“For those fans still watching he didn’t get a last real episode,” someone else shared. “That’s too bad for them, for sticking with this mess of a show so long he deserved better.” A fourth fan wondered, “Gone? With no resolution after all these years?? Why??? People come. People go but this is shady to the max.”

Chambers starred on Grey‘s since its premiere as Alex Karev, who started as a surgical intern before making his way to resident and eventually becoming a pediatric surgical fellow. During the Season 15 premiere, Karev became the interim chief of Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital after Miranda Bailey (Chandra Wilson) took a stress sabbatical. He was fired for his role in Meredith’s (Ellen Pompeo) insurance scandal and was hired as Chief of Staff and Chief of Surgery at Pacific Northwest General Hospital.

“There’s no good time to say goodbye to a show and character that’s defined so much of my life for the past 15 years,” Chambers said in a statement to Deadline. “For some time now, however, I have hoped to diversify my acting roles and career choices. And, as I turn 50 and am blessed with my remarkable, supportive wife and five wonderful children, now is that time.”

He continued, “As I move on from Grey’s Anatomy, I want to thank the ABC family, Shonda Rimes, original cast members Ellen Pompeo, Chandra Wilson and James Pickens, and the rest of the amazing cast and crew, both past and present, and, of course, the fans for an extraordinary ride.”

Photo Credit: Getty / Amanda Edwards