Former ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Star Sarah Drew Says She Doesn’t Watch the Show Anymore Because It’s Too ‘Painful’

Former Grey’s Anatomy star Sarah Drew says she doesn’t watch the show anymore because it’s too “painful.”

According to PEOPLE, Drew spoke to reporters about her current stance on the show while attending the 2018 Rape Foundation annual brunch in Beverly Hills, California.

“I haven’t been watching,” she explained. “You know, it’s a little painful to kind of go and watch your family move on without you.”

“I wish everybody the best and I know they’re having a wonderful time,” Drew also said, after admitting that she cried when she found out she was being written out of the show.

In August, Drew spoke candidly about her exit from the show, revealing the reason she was given for being let go.

“I was told that the show had too many characters and that they needed to downsize because they couldn’t service all of the characters effectively,” she said. “They didn’t want any of us to be left in the background and not getting much of a story. Because there were so many series regulars, they needed to downsize and to find some characters that they felt like they could tie up their stories well.”

However, while her exit was difficult, Drew went on to say that it was for the best with all things being considered.

“[Being let go] was painful when it happened, but, in retrospect, I think it would have been hard for me to walk away from that job,” she confessed.”I was on it for nine years. It feels right and it feels like a good time to move on to something else with all the great love in my heart that I have for everybody and respect and gratitude for what that experience was. Playing a character for nine years is a long haul.”

Following the initial news of her exit back in March, Drew took to Instagram to share her feelings and thank her fans and former co-stars for all their support.

“Hey guys. Thank you for all of the love. I know you’re sad. I’m sad too. I haven’t really had the time to process this information. I’ve been with it for less than 48 hours, so I’m not ready to say my thank yous and give an all encompassing statement about my 9 years here. That will come later,” she wrote.

“For now, I’d like to say: I love you, and I love April, and her story isn’t over yet. And the really good news (for me, at least) is that I’m here on set shadowing one of my favorite people, Kevin McKidd, with my beloved Grey’s family all this week and next, so I get to process all of my feelings surrounded by the community that has nourished and nurtured me for almost a decade,” she added. “For that, I am so grateful.”

Next up, Drew can be seen in the film Indivisible, which opens in theaters on Oct. 26.