‘Grey’s Anatomy’ and ‘Station 11’ Parting Ways With Longtime Showrunner Krista Vernoff

Ellen Pompeo isn’t the only one hanging up her scrubs. Krista Vernoff, the longtime showrunner of Grey’s Anatomy and spinoff Station 19, will officially bid farewell to both Shondaland series at the end of their current seasons.

Vernoff served as an executive producer and even wrote some episodes in the early days of Grey’s Anatomy, including the Season 2 episode, “Into You Like a Train,” which was nominated for the Best Writing Emmy Award. She went on to become the showrunner from 2007 to 2011 before returning to the gig in 2017 — and eventually taking her talents over to Station 19 during its third season.

“It has been the privilege of a lifetime to be entrusted to run Grey’s Anatomy for the past six years and Station 19 for the last four,” Vernoff said in a statement, per Entertainment Weekly. “The passion of the dedicated fandoms and the impact that these shows have on hearts and minds cannot be overstated. The amount of talent in these two extraordinary casts and these two brilliant writers rooms is beyond measure — and these crews work magic week after week. I will be forever grateful to Shonda Rhimes for her trust and to Disney and ABC for their support.”

She continued, “The last time I left Grey’s Anatomy, I was gone for seven seasons and the show was still going when Shonda called me to run it. So I’m not saying goodbye because that would be too bittersweet. I’m saying ‘See you in seven seasons.'”

Before she was simultaneously running both ABC dramas, Vernoff worked on Charmed from 2000 to 2004, where she began as a story editor before becoming a co-producer. After working on episodes of Law & Order and Private Practice, she later joined Shameless in 2012 as both a writer and a co-executive producer.

“Krista’s creativity, vision and dedicated leadership have allowed Grey’s Anatomy and Station 19 to continue to flourish,” Shonda Rhimes said, per EW. “I am incredibly grateful to her for all her hard work. She will always remain part of the Shondaland family.”

Both Grey’s Anatomy and Station 19 return on Thursday, Feb. 23 on ABC.