Grey’s Anatomy is known for establishing main characters whom fans care about… and obsess over once they fall in love. While it seemed like positive and opinionated Arizona Robbins (Jessica Capshaw) was here to stay, no one is safe on the popular hospital drama. Arizona said goodbye to Grey Sloan after season 14.
After surviving an absolutely brutal plane crash and the ups and downs of surgeon life, Arizona was finally in a good place when she left. But why did such a popular character exit the Shonda Rhimes-created show?
Why did Jessica Capshaw’s Arizona leave Grey’s Anatomy?
Jessica Capshaw stopped playing Arizona on Grey’s Anatomy because the writers felt that was the best choice for the TV series. According to Deadline, showrunner Krista Vernoff said, “As writers, our job is to follow the stories where they want to go.”
While this was the official statement, there was speculation that Ellen Pompeo’s salary increase to $20 million per year was the reason why both Capshaw and Sarah Drew, who played sweetheart April Kepner, exited. According to Entertainment Weekly, Vernoff and Pompeo both tweeted that this wasn’t true.
There’s no doubt that sometimes characters should be written out of a TV show (we’re looking at you, Wesley Crusher). But Arizona’s departure was particularly sad given she had one of the best arcs on Grey’s Anatomy thanks to her devotion to the kids whose lives she saves, her rollercoaster romance with Callie Torres (Sara Ramirez), and her journey to find herself again after tragically losing her leg.
Why did Arizona return in Grey’s Anatomy season 20?
When we last saw Arizona, she made the exciting decision to live in New York City to be near her and Callie’s daughter Sofia (Eva Ariel Binder). It was heavily implied that the couple would reunite (yay). Arizona came back in season 20, episode 4, called “Baby Can I Hold You,” to conduct brain surgery on pregnant Vida Madera (Aria Mia Loberti).
While it was nice to see the friendly doctor back in Seattle, her return was ultimately disappointing. Instead of sharing what Callie is up to and how they’re faring in the Big Apple, Arizona focused on the tricky surgery. Although her return was still a significant part of her character arc since it proved once again that she’s an impressive surgeon, it’s a shame that Arizona’s personal life was totally ignored. Hopefully, now that there will be a Grey’s Anatomy season 21, Arizona can come back again and fill us in on her life.