Why Jake Borelli's Levi Schmitt Left Grey's Anatomy

It's unfortunately rare for characters to get a happy ending on "Grey's Anatomy" — frankly, there are far too many instances of characters being written out and facing a gruesome death in the process. Thankfully, Jake Borelli's beloved intern turned surgeon, Dr. Levi Schmitt, got a genuinely great (and emotionally resonant) conclusion, and the role also helped him make some enormous strides in his personal life.

Before I get to all that, let's talk a little bit about Levi, who first shows up as a fourth-year medical student in the show's 14th season. After gaining some unfortunate notoriety whe his glasses slip off of his face and into a patient's open body cavity — earning him the nickname "Glasses" — but after he secures a surgical internship at Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital anyway, he bravely saves a patient's life when he acts as a "human blood bank" in the midst of a crisis that renders the hospital's blood bank unusable. From that point on, Levi became a fan favorite, forging close relationships with Dr. Jo Wilson (Camilla Luddington) and Dr. Taryn Helm (Jaicy Elliott) and coming into his own as a physician and surgeon (you can also watch some of his growth on the web series "Grey's Anatomy: B-Team").

In season 15 of "Grey's Anatomy," Levi makes a huge personal stride when he pursues a relationship with the hospital's new orthopedic surgery attending Dr. Nico Kim (Alex Landi), and later in the series, Levi comes out as gay to his colleagues (becoming the first gay male series regular on "Grey's Anatomy" in the process). Levi eventually pursues his love of pediatric surgery and leaves Grey Sloan Memorial for a research job in that field elsewhere, but the mark he made on the series and Borelli is unforgettable.

As a long-time "Grey's Anatomy" fan, I can tell you that Levi Schmitt's journey on the medical drama is really touching, and his own acceptance of his sexual identity is a big part of that. "Grey's Anatomy" is no stranger to queer characters and has frankly been a trailblazer in that area for years; Sara Ramirez's Dr. Calliope Torres is still the longest-running queer character on network television, and Callie's on-screen wife, Dr. Arizona Robbins, played by Jessica Capshaw, also served as vital representation for the LGBTQ+ community on screen. That makes it particularly touching, then, that Jake Borelli says that playing Levi Schmitt helped him come to terms with his sexual identity in real life.

In a 2018 interview with Entertainment Tonight that ran after the season 15 episode "Flowers Grow Out of My Grave" — where, after Nico and Levi share a kiss, Nico says that he's looking for someone more secure in their sexuality — Borelli came out publicly as a gay man. "I've been out to my friends and family for almost 10 years now, but within the last couple of months of shooting the show and really getting to know this character and seeing the response, I've realized that this is becoming bigger than just me," Borelli told the outlet, clarifying that he felt inspired to use his platform to advocate for the queer community.

"I think there is a little bit of fate involved in it, frankly," Borelli continued. "When I first booked the show, I was so excited. It was the biggest thing I had ever done; it's one of the most iconic television shows. Now, on top of that — on top of it being such a professional success for me at this point in my life — it is now becoming a huge personal success for me, which feels amazing."

Ultimately, in the season 21 episode "If You Leave," Levi makes the life-changing decision to move to Texas for that research job rather than become a general surgery attending at Grey Sloan Memorial. Even though it's pretty early in his relationship with the hospital's chaplain James (Michael Thomas Grant), Levi bravely asks James to move with him, and James says yes; at the end of the episode, they quite literally walk off into the sunset together.

Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, Jake Borelli said that it was "heartbreaking" to leave the show, but said that he also owes a lot of his "own growth" to the character he played for so many years. "He and I are quite similar, I think, by design, too," Borelli said, noting that he and his character came out to the entire world around the same time. "I've become a lot more confident myself, a lot more sure of what I want to bring to the world and who I want to be in all sorts of facets of my life," he concluded.

Still, the departure helped Borelli understand Levi's growth to the fullest. "That's the relationship he's been wanting for, for so long, and, even more important, I think staying would have been very easy for Levi," Borelli said of Levi's connection with James. "I'm so glad that he chose [to leave] for himself, and then I'm so glad that the pieces fell in place regarding James. That was a big moment for me to see him finally choosing something for himself." Plus, Borelli — and Levi — returned for a brief spell later in the season for Jo's wedding, so the door clearly isn't shut forever.

"Grey's Anatomy" is streaming on Netflix and Hulu now.