Why Jesse Williams' Dr. Jackson Avery Left Grey's Anatomy

In the sixth season of Shonda Rhimes' long-running medical drama "Grey's Anatomy," the fictional Seattle Grace Hospital merges with a nearby competitor, Mercy West — and the remaining members of our original group of interns, including Dr. Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo), Dr. Isobel "Izzie" Stevens (Katherine Heigl), Dr. Alex Karev (Justin Chambers), and Dr. Cristina Yang (Sandra Oh), have to welcome these invaders. After two of the new residents die in the season 6 finale, only two are left standing: Dr. Jackson Avery, played by Jesse Williams, and Dr. April Kepner, played by Sarah Drew.

Jackson and April's story will actually end up completely intertwined, but before I get to that: who is Jackson Avery, and when does he — and, by extension, Williams — leave "Grey's Anatomy?" Jackson departs in season 17, but before that, here's everything you need to remember about Jackson in the first place. As the grandson of Dr. Harper Avery (Chelsie Ross), the surgeon for whom the most coveted surgical award in the world of "Grey's Anatomy" is named, Jackson has a massive surgical legacy resting on his shoulders; in this way, he understands Meredith, the daughter of pioneering two-time Harper Avery winner Ellis Grey (Kate Burton), better than almost anybody. A genuinely kind and thoughtful person and physician, Jackson is a skilled surgeon who eventually becomes a major player in the plastic surgery department, training under Eric Dane's Dr. Mark Sloan and taking charge of said department when Mark dies in the season 9 premiere.

In terms of the April situation, the two start a romance in season 8 and eventually, Jackson interrupts April's wedding to another man to declare his love for her. After eloping, Jackson and April realize they have some serious compatibility issues only to find out that they're expecting a baby; the baby is diagnosed with a severe, fatal birth defect and dies shortly after his birth. Just before their official divorce, April learns that she's pregnant again, and the two go on to co-parent their daughter Harriet. So how does Jackson leave in season 17, and when and why does he return to "Grey's Anatomy?"

11 seasons is a long time to stay on one show, and by season 17, Jackson Avery was sort of spinning his wheels on "Grey's Anatomy." After Sarah Drew's April leaves the series in the season 14 finale, Jackson's next romantic venture is just sort of ... weird, only because it's Dr. Maggie Pierce (Kelly McCreary), whose biological father Dr. Richard Webber (James Pickens Jr.) is married to Jackson's mother Catherine Avery (Debbie Allen, who also serves as an executive producer and directs episodes of the series). After Jackson and Maggie split, there's not a whole lot left for Jackson to do in terms of character growth or evolution. As a result, he decides to move to Boston to oversee the Harper Avery Foundation — and he convinces a newly single April to join him, bringing their daughter. 

When Jesse Williams spoke to The Hollywood Reporter in 2021 about his season 17 exit, he revealed that the decision to leave was made alongside then-showrunner Krista Vernoff.

After saying that the issue of Jackson leaving "came up" during the season, Williams said that he and Vernoff struggled with Jackson's trajectory in season 17. "His pot is kind of bubbling over," Williams shared. "What does he need to be doing? He's been on this off-screen path of self-discovery, he's had trouble with abandonment issues and had unfinished business with his dad and, after his marriage ended and April went away, he's been unable to maintain real connection and romantic relationships and platonic relationships. He's thrown himself into work."

As a result, the choice was made for Jackson to work with the family foundation in Boston, the city where he was canonically born and raised. Williams, who says that this is Jackson's version of forging his own path after becoming a surgeon because it was expected of him, continued:

"It felt organic that Jackson had to change his environment and was willing to make a connection to something. What if he goes with his gut instead of his legacy? What if he goes to what's true to him? Watching what's happening in the streets and how it impacts Black and brown folks, it made sense that he needs to venture off and shed the shelter and try something new — or use it to do something that he's passionate about."

Not only that, but Williams made it clear that he worked on the conclusion of Jackson's story with Vernoff. "It was a team effort throughout," he revealed. "It didn't feel like any one of us coming to the other and having an outcome predetermined. We wrote something together and this is what it was."

Like several of his other "Grey's Anatomy" colleagues who left the series, Jesse Williams did return for guest appearances after his official exit in season 17 (specifically, in the 15th episode, titled "Tradition"). In the season 18 finale "You are the Blood," which happens to be the 400th episode, Jackson and April both show up in Seattle to help save the residency program, and in the season 19 episode "When I Get to the Border," Jackson is instrumental in helping Meredith realize that she wants to move her family to Boston. 

Williams also followed in the footsteps of some of his colleagues, including Kevin McKidd and Chandra Wilson (who play Dr. Owen Hunt and Dr. Miranda Bailey, respectively), by stepping behind the camera to direct episodes of "Grey's Anatomy" starting in season 14. As of this writing, Williams hasn't reprised his role as Jackson, but he's directed five episodes of the medical drama, including season 21's "Jump (For My Love)." In an interview with Shondaland, Williams said that he loves directing but was definitely intimidated by the idea of working as a director on such an established show.

"In my early years, when it was brought to me, I wasn't quite seeing where there was room for a director," Williams mused. "The show was such a Goliath and had its own ways of operating." After crediting Wilson and his on-screen mother Debbie Allen for teaching him the ropes, Williams said that Allen, in particular, helped "Grey's Anatomy" reach new creative heights as a directing producer, and that's when he felt fully ready. As far as how it felt to return to "Grey's Anatomy" in a different role, Williams spoke to the fact that he understood this particular show — and, specifically, how long-running actors like Wilson and Ellen Pompeo approach their process. Williams said:

"What I have learned to appreciate in my time there as an actor is that the actors may not originate the character, but they own them, and develop them, and live and breathe all the actions and experiences that the character has gone through. Directors come and go. The performers have to maintain a consistency and an honesty about where their character is. They've got to track it all. So, I trust the actors to be stewards of their own ship, so to speak."

Plus, Williams said he'd definitely return to "Grey's Anatomy" if the opportunity arose. "Jackson and April both still exist in the universe in Boston, and I'm wide open to reminding people of that," he said. In the meantime, "Grey's Anatomy" is available to stream on Netflix and Hulu now.