Is Harry Shum Jr. scrubbing out of the OR for good?
As of right now, the fate of his Grey’s Anatomy character Dr. Benson Kwan remains up in the air after he was fired in the penultimate episode of season 22. And when it came to the complicated dynamic that led to Kwan’s axing, the Crazy Rich Asians actor was more than ready to dive headfirst.
“I think it’s good to see the doctors when they do make a mistake, but also with good intentions,” Harry exclusively told E! News at the Asian American Foundation’s 2026 Heritage Month Awards Dinner May 14. “It wasn’t just because he was a bumbling mess.”
Instead, he emphasized, “It was very motivated in making sure that someone got to be able to choose life over death.”
Kwan was fired by Dr. Richard Webber (James Pickens Jr.) off-screen after he discovered that the surgical resident had secretly administered an experimental hydrogel, an FDA-denied treatment, to patient Quinn Durston (Michael Weston) for his liver cancer earlier in the season.
And with the firing, Harry—who joined the ABC series’ cast as an intern in season 19—reacted to the possibility of the surgical resident not returning to Grey Sloan Memorial next season.
“I’m just as much in the dark as audiences,” he admitted during the TAAF event honoring AAPI changemakers. “But to me, it’s a hope of: Do audiences want to see him go or do they want to see him go back to the hospital?”
Dr. Miranda Bailey (Chandra Wilson) found herself in hot water with the Institutional Review Board (IRB), the ethics committee for medical research, after taking the blame for Kwan’s move.
Although Durston had developed a pulmonary embolism following the injection, she told Dr. Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo) in the April 30 episode that the patient was “doing quite well.”
When the report eventually came in, Webber pulled Kwan aside to address Bailey—who was reported by Dr. Dani Spencer (Jade Pettyjohn)—taking the fall for him.
“I know it was you who injected the hydrogel and not her,” he said. “Now, I want you to tell me everything that happened, starting from the beginning.”
Webber ultimately confronted Bailey, the director of the residency program, who was benched from surgery until further notice.
“We work in a system where you can be forced out for one mistake, but that’s not conducive to learning,” she emphasized. “Kwan is still learning, so don’t go too hard on him while I’m out.”
Webber wasn’t impressed with the situation, simply telling Bailey, “Well, that won’t be a problem. He’s fired.”
While Kwan’s future on the show is to be determined, keep reading for a closer look at more doctors who departed Grey’s Anatomy over the years.
Isaiah Washington as Preston Burke
In season three, Burke abandoned Cristina at the altar and then just took off, eventually winning a Harper Avery award elsewhere and then at some point, moving to Zurich, Switzerland to open his own hi-tech hospital. He got married, started a family, and then in season 10, he invited Cristina to his hospital to take it over for him as he retired.
Isaiah Washington left the series after it was reported that he called costar T.R. Knight a gay slur during an argument on set with Patrick Dempsey, and all his defenses just kept making it worse before he finally was let go from the series. Apparently he and ABC made up, because they let him return for a second in 2014.
As for what Washington has said of the incident? He later issued a public apology, adding in another statement, “I can also no longer deny to myself that there are issues I obviously need to examine within my own soul, and I’ve asked for help.”
In the years since his Grey’s Anatomy departure,he has starred as Thelonious Jaha on The CW’s The 100, until his character died in season five, followed by Starz’ critically acclaimed P-Valley.
Katherine Heigl as Izzie Stevens
Izzie Stevens got cancer, married Alex Karev, survived the cancer, and then sorta just disappeared in season six. She eventually returned for a second and admitted she didn’t feel like Seattle was her home anymore. Later, Alex got sent divorce papers, and now we know Izzie secretly had Alex’s twins, lives on a ranch in Kansas, and became a surgical oncologist.
Katherine Heigl’s exit basically began in 2008 when she withdrew her name from Emmy consideration because she didn’t feel like the material deserved it. In 2010, the character disappeared completely. She said in the years since that she would like to return to the character, but creator Shonda Rhimes did not. “I’m done with that story,” she told TVLine in 2015.
Heigl, then a burgeoning romcom star, went on to star in a few more romcoms before returning to TV with State of Affairs, then Doubt, and more recently, she had an arc Suits and starred in Firefly Lane until it ended in 2023.
Edward Herrmann as Intern Norman
Intern Norman arrived in season four and had to fend off assumptions that he was an attending, rather than an intern, due to his age. He messed up and told the wrong patient she was dying, and later he collapsed and had a stroke. He had surgery to remove the blood clot, and decided after his surgery that he was going to transfer to psych.
Edward Herrmann, a fairly legendary actor, is mostly widely known as Richard Gilmore on Gilmore Girls. He also appeared in several episodes of The Good Wife, Harry’s Law, and even American Dad before his death in 2014.
Kali Rocha as Sydney Heron
Sydney was the perky resident who took over for Bailey during her maternity leave and drove everyone crazy with her perkiness. She even went on a date with Derek at one point, but sort of disappeared in early season four. She briefly reprised her role for season 21 in 2024.
Kali Rocha most recently starred on Disney’s Liv and Maddie and Man with a Plan plus a 2024 episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm, the same year she made a brief return to Grey’s.
T.R. Knight as George O’Malley
One of the biggest tearjerkers on this list, at the end of season five, George had just decided to enlist as a trauma surgeon in the army and was on his way to do so when he saved a woman from getting hit by a bus, only to be hit himself. He was in such bad shape when he got to the hospital that no one recognized him until he used his finger to write his nickname, 007, in Meredith’s hand. They were unable to save him, and he tragically died.
After several tumultuous seasons behind the scenes (including Isaiah Washington using the f-word while allegedly referring to him), Knight struggled with some of George’s storylines and the fact that George barely appeared in the beginning of season five, and asked to be released from his contract.
Knight returned to Shondaland in 2017 for an arc on The Catch, and has also appeared on The Good Wife, 11.22.63, and Genius, among other series. In 2019, he started voice acting for The Bravest Knight before departing in 2024. He also appeared in HBO Max series The Flight Attendant with Kaley Cuoco between 2020 and 2022.
He also returned to Grey’s for one episode to meet Meredith during her COVID-19 coma in season 17.
Brooke Smith as Erica Hahn
Erica Hahn and Callie Torres started a relationship that really may have gone somewhere, until Erica learned about the time Izzie Stevens cut Denny Duquette’s LVAD wire in attempts to save his life. The heart that then went to Denny was taken from one of Erica’s patients. When Callie refused to report the situation, Erica up and left the relationship and her job in early season five.
Brooke Smith went on to appear in Bosch, Bates Motel, Supergirl, The Good Doctor, Chicago Med, and The Good Fight, and the 2019 film Bombshell.
Most recently, she had arcs in Ryan Murphy‘s Grotesquerie, The Recruit, The Hunting Party and Chicago Fire.
Brandon Scott as Intern Ryan
Intern Ryan disappeared in early season six and Brandon Scott most recently starred on Netflix’s Dead To Me, 13 Reasons Why, This Is Us and The Good Doctor.
ABCMolly Kidder as Intern Megan
For all the drama that most Grey’s interns tend to cause, Megan just may take the scalpel. She got into a love triangle with Steve and Pierce, as she was dating Pierce, but slept with Steve, and then Pierce wanted to kill Steve, and Megan got pregnant by Steve, and then she later married Steve, and she hasn’t been seen since season six after Derek Shepherd rehired her.
Molly Kidder has done a few acting gigs since Grey’s, including a guest spot on Outsourced in 2010 and some independent films. She also appeared as an extra in Ghosts in 2025.
