Jake Borelli Leaves the Medical Drama Grey’s Anatomy After Next Season
Jake Borelli, who has appeared on ABS’s medical drama Grey’s Anatomy, is leaving the show after seven years. According to reports, the actor discussed with the makers to wrap up his character story, Levi Schmitt, in the next season.
The actor will appear in some episodes of season 21 to conclude his character’s storyline properly. According to reports, his exit was due to budget cuts, which led to a deduction in the episode counts for the leading actors.
It is common for the network to ask for financial concessions for long-running dramas due to their declining ratings. Renewing such a series with a veteran cast costs the network a significant budget, so they opt for budget cuts. So, the production company will give the actors fewer episodes to decrease costs.
Jake Borelli Leaving 'Grey's Anatomy' Next Season As Veteran Series Regulars Eye Episode Reductions https://t.co/TgO0wcdtNM
— Deadline Hollywood (@DEADLINE) May 13, 2024
Jake Borelli, as Levi Schmitt, first appeared in Grey’s Anatomy in season 14. He joined Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital for a six-week internship as a fourth-year medical student. Later, he interviewed and became part of the hospital’s residency program.
He is the only person from his class of interns who stayed in the hospital after the residency program disbanded. However, his hospital journey was not smooth. During the 2021-22 season, he suffered mental health issues after losing a patient. He recently became a senior resident and works with a new intern group.
The character is memorable because of its LGBTQ storyline. It is one of the gay main characters in the series. In season 15, Levi starts a romance with Dr. Nico(the first openly gay character in Grey’s Anatomy) and becomes the first gay romance on the show by sharing a kiss with two male doctors.
After that episode, Borelli publicly came out as gay. At that time, he wrote on Instagram, “As a gay guy myself, tonight’s episode was so special to me.”
Levi and Nico’s relationship was a highlight of the show, including their romance and the problems they faced every day in their careers. The pair had broken up, and Landi(as Nico) left the series in 2022. When Nico returned to season 20, Levi ran into his former boyfriend, but it revealed that Nico was in a new relationship and expecting a baby through surrogacy.
Borelli has been part of the series for over 120 episodes. It is currently unclear how Borelli’s character storyline will wrap up in the upcoming season and whether they will leave the door open for him to return in the future.