Grey’s Anatomy Tonight: Arizona Returns! Why Did Jessica Capshaw Leave the Show?

Season 20 of Grey’s Anatomy continues tonight on TF1! Fans of the show will be particularly thrilled as a beloved character makes a grand return to the series today.

Arizona Robbins is making her big comeback after being away for six seasons. At the time, Jessica Capshaw, who played Arizona, was let go after many years of dedicated service and some truly iconic storylines.

In May 2018, American news outlet Deadline broke the news: Jessica Capshaw and Sarah Drew (April Kepner) were leaving the show for purely creative reasons. This announcement came as a shock to viewers and sparked widespread speculation.

Some believed that the salary increase of Ellen Pompeo, the star of Grey’s Anatomy, might have led to budget cuts resulting in the dismissal of the two actresses. That year, the actress playing Meredith was reported to have secured an annual salary of 20 million dollars.

“That’s Absolutely Not True!”

Affected by the rumors, she decided to speak out: “That’s absolutely not true. I am not involved in those types of decisions. However, issues inevitably arise when working on a show for 14 seasons. One of those issues involves the writers.”

“They inevitably have less creative energy because they constantly need to come up with new stories for all these characters. It’s always sad to lose people, regardless of the reason,” she said before adding, “I think it’s important that we don’t pit ourselves against each other…”

“We are not enemies. We strive to lift each other up and support one another. We are not victims!” Meanwhile, Jessica Capshaw tweeted in March 2018: “For the past ten years, I’ve had the rare privilege of not only playing Arizona but falling madly in love with the idea of stepping into her shoes every day.”

“Her Impact on the World Is Lasting and Eternal”

“Arizona Robbins is kind, intelligent, funny, insightful, bold, playful, fierce, and extremely skilled at her job. She is one of the first members of the LGBTQ+ community to be featured on television in a regular role on a major network. Her impact on the world is lasting and eternal.”

But all this is now part of the past as the surgeon returns tonight in Grey’s Anatomy. Don’t miss the two new episodes airing starting at 9:10 PM on TF1.