Kelly McCreary’s Grey’s Anatomy Exit Is Bad News For Maggie & Winston

Warning! SPOILERS for Grey’s Anatomy season 19, episode 10 ahead.

Maggie and Winston’s relationship struggles have been going on since Grey’s Anatomy season 18, but the news of Kelly McCreary’s exit after nine seasons on the medical drama only foreshadows more heartbreak for the two surgeons. Despite being one of the dreamiest Grey’s Anatomy relationships in season 17, precisely because of how romantic and spur-of-the-moment Maggie and Winston’s connection was, the couple’s relationship went sideways more often than not since their marriage. Grey’s Anatomy season 19 has the relationship so strained that Maggie and Winston are seen more often avoiding each other than trying to reconcile their differences.

While Maggie originally moved to Seattle to get to know her long-lost half-sister Meredith, she eventually built a life and a career in Seattle and at Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital. However, with Meredith and her kids moving to Boston for Zola’s new school, Maggie’s only reason for staying in Seattle is Winston. Kelly McCreary’s announcement of her Grey’s Anatomy exit as Maggie makes one sad ending for Winston and Maggie more probable, especially if her farewell episode is set to air on April 13 and considering the dire straits Grey’s Anatomy season 19 showed Maggie and Winston’s relationship is in.

Maggie & Winston Reconciling Wouldn’t Make Sense With McCreary Leaving Grey’s Anatomy

Grey’s Anatomy season 18 already had Maggie and Winston unable to see the end of their big fight, especially as one aspect involved Maggie’s worries that they’d married too soon without knowing enough about each other. However, Maggie’s fears weren’t unfounded, as Winston’s behavior around his brother completely opposed everything Maggie believed about Winston. Despite halting when they realized their love was enough, Maggie and Winston’s fight resumed once Grey Sloan being short-staffed caused them to clash at work, and their inability to find common ground or even communicate without fighting points at Maggie and Winston’s fight in Grey’s Anatomy ending with their divorce, especially considering McCreary’s exit.

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After all, Winston and Maggie reconciling wouldn’t make sense with McCreary exiting the show in Grey’s Anatomy season 19. After their fight involved the best part of Grey’s Anatomy seasons 18 and 19, whenever Maggie and Winston’s storylines were concerned, a miraculous reconciliation wouldn’t make sense unless Winston followed Maggie wherever she moved. However, given how contentious the issue of Winston choosing Maggie over his career was in Grey’s Anatomy season 19, it’s unlikely Maggie would let go of her disrespect for Winston’s choice, making their divorce the ending that would make the most sense with McCreary exiting Grey’s Anatomy.

There’s No Reason For Maggie To Stay In Seattle Without Meredith & Winston

Maggie’s arrival at Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital in Grey’s Anatomy season 10 was prompted by her desire to get to know her half-sister Meredith she had just learned she had. Given Meredith’s exit and Meredith and her family are the reason for Maggie’s life in Seattle, it wouldn’t make sense for Maggie to continue staying there after her divorce from Winston. Meredith’s move to Boston and things ending badly between Winston and Maggie would be the perfect reason for Maggie to leave Seattle for good, justifying McCreary’s exit from Grey’s Anatomy in the most sensible way possible.

Grey’s Anatomy airs new episodes every Thursday at 9 p.m. ET/PT on ABC.