Greys Anatomy Adds New Gay Character After Jake Borellis Exit
Grey’s Anatomy is reportedly adding a new gay character for season 21 amid Jake Borelli’s departure from the series.
TVLine reported on Monday, July 15, that the longstanding medical drama will introduce a new character who is the chaplain at Grey Sloan Memorial. According to the outlet, the character will be openly gay. The role will be a recurring one and no details about casting have been shared.
ABC declined to comment.
The addition of the new character comes two months after it was revealed that Borelli, 33, was exiting after seven seasons. Deadline reported in May that Borelli will appear in several episodes of the new season to wrap up his storyline.
Borelli played Dr. Levi Schmitt, a fan favorite amongst Grey’s viewers since season 14. Levi started off as an intern and worked his way up to senior resident, who guides the new class on their medical journey. In season 15, Borelli was a major part of an LGBTQIA+ storyline where his character began a romance with Dr. Nico Kim, portrayed by Alex Landi.
In June, Borelli opened up about how grateful he was to be part of Grey’s history and play a character that meant so much to him on a personal level.
“Levi has meant an indescribable amount to me over the past 7 years. I will need SO much more time to process just how immensely my life has changed thanks to this opportunity to help bring queer moments to a worldwide audience,” he wrote via Instagram. “Having representation on a major platform like this is so important, and I promise to keep doing my part to tell queer stories — during the remainder of my time on Grey’s and in my next chapter.”
Borelli’s departure wasn’t the only shakeup on Grey’s for season 21. Midori Francis is exiting the drama after two seasons. While fans received news of the back-to-back exits, good news came in June when it was announced that Jason George would be returning as a series regular following the Station 19 series finale.
George, 52, played Ben Warren on both Grey’s and the firefighter spinoff. Since joining Station 19 as a cast member, he has made frequent guest appearances on the medical drama since his character is married to one of the hospital’s most senior surgeons, Dr. Miranda Bailey (original cast member Chandra Wilson).
After adding George to the cast, it was reported that Ellen Pompeo, who has played Dr. Meredith Grey since the series premiere in 2005, would be increasing her screentime in season 21. Pompeo, 54, confirmed in 2022 that she had a reduced role for season 19.
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“I’m going to always be a part of that show,” she told Deadline at the time. “I’m an executive producer. I spent two decades of my career on [Grey’s Anatomy] — it’s my heart and soul. I’ll never truly be gone as long as [it’s] on the air.”
Although she no longer appears as a series regular, Pompeo narrates each episode and serves as an executive producer.
Grey’s Anatomy season 21 will premiere on ABC Thursday, September 26 at 10 p.m. ET.
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