‘Grey’s Anatomy’: Is Justin Chambers Leaving The Series? He Dishes On Alex’s Future

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Justin Chambers remains just one of four ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ cast members who have remained on the show since Season 1 — but could he be the next one to leave? We’ve got the scoop!

Following Sarah Drew and Jessica Capshaw‘s heartbreaking exits from Grey’s Anatomy this past May, the last thing any fan wants to see is another cast member leave the long-running series. Especially one of the original stars — Ellen Pompeo, Justin Chambers, Chandra Wilson and James Pickens, Jr. So when HollywoodLife crossed paths with Justin, 48, at The Rape Foundation’s annual brunch on Oct. 7, we felt it was our duty to find out whether he has any immediate plans to leave the series. And fortunately for you (and us!), it sounds like he’ll be sticking around — at least for the remainder of Season 15. While at the event, which honored celebrity guest Jennifer Garner, Justin talked about his future on the series, saying, “I honestly don’t know [how much longer I’ll do the show]. I play it year by year now. We’ll see — this year is all I am thinking about. We are almost halfway through [filming Season 15].”

If you’ve been watching the current season, then you should know that Justin’s character, Alex Karev, was recently named the new chief of Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital — a position he’ll seemingly hold until Miranda Bailey (Chandra Wilson) decides she wants to take her job back. Bailey gave it up so she could focus more on surgery and less on the daily stresses that come from being the chief. Anyway, when Justin spoke about what’s coming up for Alex later this season, he said, “Alex is still cheif so….. goofiness happens. We will see where they go with all of this. We are happy that people are still watching!” And watching we are — after 15 seasons, Grey’s Anatomy is still one of ABC’s top-two rated drama series.

But even so, Ellen Pompeo recently teased that the show could end at the end of Season 16. “I’m clearly not prepared right now to make any kind of formal announcement about what my future is on the show, but I am really feeling like we have told the majority of the stories we can tell,” Ellen, 48, told Entertainment Weekly in mid-September before adding, “It’s about time that I mix it up. I’m definitely looking for a change.” Her current $20 million contract ends at the conclusion of Season 16.

Grey’s Anatomy airs on ABC every Thursday at 8 p.m. ET.