Jesse Williams admits he got 'more emotional than expected' over 'Grey's Anatomy' exit

By Megan Armstrong | Last updated 6/18/21

Grey's Anatomy fans don't need to be reminded, but Jesse Williams officially said goodbye to Dr. Jackson Avery on May 20 with the third to last episode of Season 17 after portraying the beloved plastic surgeon since 2009.

While visiting The Ellen DeGeneres Show on Friday, guest host tWitch asked Williams how he felt watching his character's story wrap up. This is what the 39-year-old had to say:

"It was a little more emotional than I expected, to be honest. It's been a long, beautiful, just spectacular journey. I'm just beyond grateful to everybody involved, starting with Shonda [Rhimes] all the way to all the incredible crew that we spent time working with—both as an actor and a director. That's where I started directing television. Yeah, just a lot of gratitude, but a little more emotional than I expected as it all wrapped up.
"They made a few kind of homage videos or memory videos and seeing this young kid start and what that character's journey was, it did contextualize it for me a little bit. It's pretty nice."

It's been an honor, Dr. Avery.

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— Grey's Anatomy (@GreysABC) May 21, 2021

Grey's lives to see at least one more season, but Williams is off to star in Broadway's revival of Take Me Out. There, he will star as Darren Lemming, a baseball player who comes out as gay and endures homophobic backlash.

"The character does call for a little bit of nudity," Williams told tWitch. "So, what I will say about that is it's terrifying in all the right ways. I'm looking to be challenged in new ways, to be scared and excited and be pushed, you know? One of the beautiful things about the job I've had for so long is the comfort it creates. So I'm excited to something new."

Watch Williams' full Ellen appearance below.