Jesse Williams is leaving Grey's Anatomy

And the season 17 surprises keep on coming! Following a season of twists, it seems Dr. Jackson Avery's (Jesse Williams) time on Grey's Anatomy is about to come to an end.

EW has confirmed that Jesse Williams is departing Grey's Anatomy this season. After joining the show in season 6 as one of the few tolerable Mercy West interns, Jackson quickly became a fan favorite, forming connections with Cristina (Sandra Oh), Lexie (Chyler Leigh), and becoming Mark Sloan (Eric Dane's) devoted student. But over the years, one of his biggest storylines has been his love story with April Kepner (Sarah Drew). And now, it suddenly makes sense why Drew is back in this week's episode.

According to Deadline, which broke the news, Jackson's exit will be revealed at the end of Thursday's episode, which reunites Jackson and April for some potential closure. As for his actual goodbye, EW has confirmed that Williams' final episode of Grey's will air on May 20.

Grey's Anatomy airs Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET on ABC.

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