Grey's Anatomy favourite confirmed to take extended break from series

Grey’s Anatomy series regular Caterina Scorsone will be taking an extended break from the show, it has been confirmed.

Thursday night’s (16th October) episode saw neurosurgeon Amelia Shepherd (Scorsone) grapple with severe grief following the death of Monica Beltran (Natalie Morales) in the season 22 premiere.

Viewers will know Amelia considers herself responsible for Monica’s death because she feels that, had she never performed the unsuccessful brain surgery on Dylan Gatlin, her mother Jenna would never have held everyone hostage and inadvertently released the acetylene that caused the blast in the operating room.

Despite an intervention by Meredith (Ellen Pompeo) and Maggie (Kelly McCreary) in Thursday's episode, Amelia decided she was unable to cope and announced at the end of the episode that she is taking a sabbatical.

Deadline reports that the actor's hiatus will span the next eight episodes, with Scorsone returning in 2026.

Executive producer/showrunner Meg Marinis previously teased what fans can expect from Amelia in season 22, telling Deadline in an interview after the season 21 finale: “She was very medical this season. We’ll see if her strive and desire to keep taking on medical cases, we’ll see if that continues after what happens to Dylan."

She continued: "I think that’s a moment of hubris for her. She took on something that, there’s a possibility she shouldn’t have operated on that girl to begin with.”

Grey's Anatomy viewers were left shocked by the season 22 premiere, which saw Monica meet a slow and painful end after getting trapped under operating equipment following the explosion in the season 21 finale.

Speaking about the decision to kill off the character, showrunner Meg Marinis previously told The Hollywood Reporter it was a "painful" one.

"I wanted to see someone die selflessly saving someone’s else’s life, and she was not only saving that little kid on the table, she was saving Jules," she explained.

She added: "It really speaks to the kind of character Monica was. I didn’t want to. It was very difficult. It was very painful. I cried on that phone call.

"I love working with Natalie Morales. She is an exquisite performer, an amazing actor who brings so much to the table. I’ve already pledged that I will work with her again one day! She’s a writer’s dream. But also, just going through the impact and consequences on Jules and Amelia, that is where we landed."

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