Does Arizona Robbins die in Grey's Anatomy?

Last Modified Apr 7, 2025 19:29 EDT
Does Arizona Robbins die in Grey's Anatomy?
Arizona Robbins in Grey's Anatomy. Source: ABC


No, Dr. Arizona Robbins doesn’t die in Grey’s Anatomy. Jessica Capshaw’s character, Dr. Arizona Robbins, went through a life-altering event when her leg was amputated after the plane crash at the conclusion of season 8. This caused Robbins to suffer severe long-stage depression which also became one of the reasons for her divorce with Dr. Callie Torres (Sara Ramirez) in the show.


Shonda Rhimes’ medical drama, Grey’s Anatomy, focuses on the professional and personal lives of the medical staff at the Seattle Grace Hospital (now Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital). The primary focus of the show’s plotline revolves around the life of Dr. Meredith Grey.


What happened to Arizona Robbins in Grey’s Anatomy?


What happened to Arizona Robbins?
Arizona Robbins and Mark Sloan. Source: Screengrab from the show.


Robbins suffers severe injuries in a plane crash at the end of Season 8, which leads to the amputation of her left leg. Following the plane crash that took the lives of Sloan and Lexie Grey, the hospital is sued and ultimately held negligent.


The hospital is on the verge of going bankrupt since the insurance companies won't pay the $15 million that must be paid to all of the victims, including Shepherd, Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo), Cristina Yang (Sandra Oh), and Robbins herself. To keep the hospital from shutting down, those doctors purchase it with the Harper-Avery Foundation's support, and they join the new directing board. At first, Robbins treats Callie coldly because she decided to have her leg amputated.


Does Arizona Robbins die in Grey's Anatomy?
Arizona's amputated leg. Source: Screengrab from the show.


She also experiences difficulties with body image, particularly when it comes to her and Callie's sexual relationship since she feels exposed when taking off her prosthetic. But as Robbins tries to adjust to her new life, they gradually get back together, and she begins "feeling like herself again."


A one-night affair occurs between Robbins and Dr. Lauren Boswell (Hilarie Burton), who is at the hospital rebuilding a baby's face. Robbins feels delighted that a stranger still finds her beautiful despite being aware of her injury. After Callie found out about their affair, she kicked Arizona out of the apartment. The two later tried to make amends, went to couple’s therapy, and even decided to have another child. However, this escalated in the end and they ultimately got divorced.


Arizona and Callie’s custody battle in Grey’s Anatomy


Does Arizona Robbins die in Grey's Anatomy?
Callie and her lawyer. Source: Screengrab from the show.


Arizona does not want to be separated from her daughter, so she hires a lawyer and they go to court in a custody dispute when Callie wants to take Sofia and shift to New York with Penny. This suggests that Arizona had previously adopted Sofia as a second parent, granting Arizona the same legal rights over Sofia. After a prolonged legal battle, Arizona is granted sole custody of Sofia; but, since she believes that "both of Sofia's moms deserve to be happy," she ultimately shares Sofia with Callie.


Following her exit from the show, Arizona and Sofia make occasional references to Callie. Sofia returns to Arizona in Season 14 because she misses her, but she also frequently misses Callie. Arizona begins a study aimed at finding out why the United States has such high rates of mortality among mothers as opposed to other nations. In the Season 14 ending, Arizona leaves the show and relocates to New York, where she could've made a reconciliation with Callie and Sofia.


FAQs about Arizona Robbins

A. No, Dr. Arizona Robbins doesn’t die in Grey’s Anatomy. She survives the plane crash but loses her left leg due to life-risking infection.

A. Arizona had a one-time affair with Dr. Lauren Boswell after she was delighted at the fact that some stranger still found her beautiful after learning about her life.

A. Arizona fought the custody battle for Sofia after discovering that Callie had decided to move to New York and take Sofia with her.

A. Arizona Robbins' last episode as a part of the main cast was in season 14 episode 24 while her last episode as a part of guest cast was in season 20 episode 4.

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