Why did Callie Torres fame Sara Ramirez leave Grey's Anatomy? Details explored

Grey's Anatomy is an American television medical drama created by Shonda Rhimes in 2005. The series follows the lives and struggles of surgical interns, residents, and attendings at the fictional Seattle Grace Hospital, which was later renamed Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital.

Sara Ramirez portrayed Dr. Callie Torres, an orthopedic surgeon, after joining the cast of Grey's Anatomy in season 2. Initially, Callie was planned to be a romantic figure for George O'Malley’s character but instead became one of the major characters as the show progressed.

After 10 years on the show, in May 2016, Ramirez announced that they were leaving. They also mentioned that they wanted to take some time off and thanked the crew and cast for the wonderful experience at the show.

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Sara Ramirez's role as Dr. Callie Torres in Grey's Anatomy

Sara Ramirez played Dr. Callie Torres on Grey's Anatomy (Image via Getty)

Sara Ramirez joined Grey's Anatomy in season 2 as Dr. Callie Torres, a senior resident who developed feelings for George O'Malley. They married in season 3 but later divorced after George cheated. In season 4, Callie came out as bisexual, had a brief relationship with Erica Hahn, and faced rejection from her father.

She started a committed relationship with pediatric surgeon Arizona Robbins in season 5. It developed further in season 6 but was tested by disagreements about having children. They broke up temporarily, then reconciled after a hospital shooting.

Callie got pregnant with Mark's baby in season 7, survived a car accident, and then got married to Arizona. In season 8, she helped Arizona after a plane crash that killed Mark. Arizona had to get her leg amputated, which strained their marriage. Arizona cheats on Callie, and that is the reason for their divorce in season 10.

After getting divorced, Callie shifted her focus to her career and co-parenting Sofia. In season 12, she started dating Penny Blake, who prompted her to consider moving to New York. There was a custody struggle with Arizona, but in the end, she agreed to Callie having custody of Sofia, which was when Callie left Grey's Anatomy.

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Why Sara Ramirez left the series

Sara Ramirez left in May 2016 after 10 years on the show and has shared about taking time off after stepping away from the show. In a statement to US Magazine on May 20, 2016, Ramirez said,

"I'm deeply grateful to have spent the last 10 years with my family at Grey's Anatomy and ABC, but for now, I'm taking some welcome time off."

Shonda Rhimes, in support of Ramirez, acknowledged their decision and said how last minute it seemed to her as well. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly on May 22, 2016, Rhimes stated:

"This one was different because it wasn’t a big planned thing. I had a different plan going, and when Sara came in and said, I really need to take this break, I was lucky that we shot the end of the season with her going to New York."

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Sara Ramirez's career after Grey's Anatomy

Sara Ramirez had numerous other TV and activist roles after departing from Grey's Anatomy. They portrayed Kat Sandoval, a strategic policy advisor, in CBS Madam Secretary from 2017 to 2019 for 23 episodes.

Ramirez was cast as Che Diaz, a non-binary queer stand-up comedian and podcaster, in the 2021 revival of Sex and the City, And Just Like That…

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Catch new episodes of Grey's Anatomy every Thursday on ABC at 10 pm ET. The episodes can be streamed on Hulu the following day.