‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Loses Dr. Levi Schmitt: Jake Borelli Reportedly Exiting The Medical Drama After Seven Seasons

By Alex Vena
Published May 14, 2024, 12:11 p.m. ET

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Jake Borelli may be handing over his scrubs soon. Deadline reports that the Grey’s Anatomy star, who has portrayed Levi Schmitt since Season 14, is exiting the long-running ABC medical drama. Sources informed the outlet that he is in talks to appear in several episodes in Season 21, which was greenlit in April, to conclude his character’s storyline.

Decider has reached out to ABC for comment.

Borelli has appeared in over 120 episodes to date, starting with his series debut in Season 14, and he became a series regular in Season 15. The series is now in its landmark 20th season, which is slated to air its season finale on May 30.

Deadline cites a “budget cut” for Season 21 as the potential cause for Borelli and possibly other actors’ “episodic guarantees” — which the outlet defines as “the number of episodic fees per season each series regular is entitled to per their contract” — being reduced.

While speaking with Haute Living in April 2023, Borelli said working on Grey’s has “truly has been quite the ride,” explaining that “getting to work with some of the best television actors there is has truly been one of the highlights of this job.”

He also said that he and Levi “have also gone through a lot of similar personal growth together,” referring to how he came out as gay on his social media in 2018 around when Levi kissed Alex Landi‘s Nico Kim in Season 15, per Entertainment Weekly.

Freddy Miyares and Jake Borelli in 'Grey's Anatomy'
Photo: Disney/Anne Marie Fox

“We both came out of the closet hand in hand and I truly am so grateful to play him,” he shared with Haute Living.

In other Grey’s news, series creator Shonda Rhimes recently reflected on the “exhausting” experience of simultaneously helming ABC’s Grey’s, Scandal, and How to Get Away with Murder.

“That was exhausting,” she told Variety last month. “It was an accomplishment. But it was exhausting. And it was great. I loved the storytelling. But I feel like it almost killed me. It was too much.”

Grey’s Anatomy airs on Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET on ABC. Next-day streaming is available on Hulu.