Justin Chambers is best known for his role in Grey's Anatomy as Dr. Alex Karev from 2005 to 2020. Dr Alex Karev is the series' handsome, carefree doctor. His character initially began as a guarded intern and later became the kind-hearted chief of pediatric surgery at Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital.
Grey's Anatomy premiered on ABC back in 2005. As a member of the original cast, Justin worked on the show for a whopping 16 seasons until his departure. He decided to quit the program in 2020 and the abrupt ending of his character’s storyline left many fans devastated.
Justin's character saw several significant storylines over his fifteen years on the show, and in year sixteen, he was promoted to head of pediatric surgery. After his final appearance in the 16th season episode "Leave a Light On," Dr. Alex relocates to Kansas to live with his former flame Izzie Stevens (Katherine Heigl) and their children.
Exploring the real reason behind Justin Chambers leaving Grey's Anatomy
Justin Chambers's character was added to the Grey's Anatomy pilot when the creative team wanted a "bad boy" in the surgical group. Chambers gave 15 years of his life before finally leaving in early 2020. In late 2019 Chambers announced his departure from Grey's Anatomy in a statement, obtained by Deadline, where he stated:
"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. For some time now, however, I have hoped to diversify my acting roles and career choices.”
Chambers had reached the age of 50 and thought it was time to move on and find other roles to prolong his acting career. Chambers' wife Keisha is the woman who put him in touch with Calvin Klein as a model when they first met. They have five children: Isabella, Eva, Jackson, and twin girls Maya and Kaila.
How did Dr. Alex Karev’s storyline end in Grey’s Anatomy?
Izzie, played by Katherine Heigl, was Alex's first love in Grey's Anatomy. They hated each other at first but eventually warmed up to each other. Alex and Izzie fell for each other even though they were pursuing others.
The two eventually got married after Izzie was diagnosed with a brain tumor and realized she wouldn't live long. She recovered, but their relationship was not continued in season 6. Alex later began a deep romantic relationship with intern Jo Wilson in season 10.
The audience loved the pairing of Alex and Jo. However, the viewers were left shocked when Alex decided to break up with his Jo and decide to return to Izzie in season 16's "Leave a Light On".
Alex calls Izzie to ask if she could attend Meredith's trial to regain her medical license. But on the call, he hears two small voices in the background. It is then that he is told the truth by Izzie that she had frozen her embryos during her cancer treatment to get pregnant, and the two children were biologically Alex's.
Upon learning this, Alex decides to end his relationship with Jo, move to Kansas, and start afresh with his Izzie and his children.
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Grey's Anatomy is currently available to stream on Disney+ and the official streaming site of ABC.
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