Grey's Anatomy will continue to air without Ellen Pompeo's titular character, the star of the hit medical drama has suggested in an Instagram post.
After reducing her full-time role as Meredith Grey to appear in only select episodes of the ABC show's current 19th season, Pompeo—who served as the lead character since the series began in 2005—now appears to be stepping away.
On Thursday, Pompeo, 53, shared a post on Instagram in which she reflected on her almost two decades on the show, as she assured fans that she would "definitely be back to visit."
Sharing a photo of herself posing before a pink neon sign that read "All You Need Is Love," she wrote: "I am eternally grateful and humbled by the love and support you have all shown me, Meredith GREY and the show for 19 seasons!"
The Massachusetts native continued: "Through it all....none of it ...would have been possible without the best fans in the world. You all are RIDERS and you all have made the ride so fun and ICONIC!!
"I love you madly and appreciate you right back. This isn't your first time on the rollercoaster... you know the show must go on and I'll definitely be back to visit. With a lot of love and immense gratitude."
The post, which received more than 1.5 million likes within hours of being uploaded, was met with an outpouring of support from fans and celebrities alike.
Her Grey's Anatomy co-star Kate Walsh commented: "Love and adore you, always and forever, @EllenPompeo 💛 Never good bye... just a see ya later, doll."
"Wowwwww my love what a ride!" Queen & Slim star Jodie Turner-Smith wrote. "Lots of love and profound curiosity for what comes next."
Grey's Anatomy creator Shonda Rhimes dedicated an Instagram post of her own to Pompeo on Thursday, sharing multiple slides of the two posing together over the years.
"What a wild ride these past 19 seasons have been," Rhimes wrote in her accompanying caption. "None of it could have been possible without the incomparable @ellenpompeo, the one and only Meredith Grey.
"This isn't a goodbye, it's a see ya later! Can't wait to see what's in store for Ellen, Meredith and Grey Sloan Memorial."
It was reported back in August that Pompeo would be scaling back her time on Grey's Anatomy, appearing in only eight episodes of the show over the course of Season 19. Pompeo has continued to serve as a narrator and executive producer for the series.
Back in September, Pompeo told Entertainment Tonight about her decision to step away from Grey's Anatomy as she prepares to star in an upcoming Hulu adaptation of 2009 film Orphan.
"It's still Grey's, she's still there in spirit and that's the house that Grey built, so she's always there," she said at the time. "She just has to step away for a little bit to do a Hulu show. It's a great company to work for and I'm really, really lucky that they've given me the opportunity to do both, and so I had to take it."
Speaking with the same outlet in May, Pompeo also hinted that Grey's Anatomy could be taking a new direction as she prepared for a future away from the show.
She said: "Trying to reinvent the show and continually trying to reinvent the show is the challenge at this point, and listen, the show speaks to a lot of people, and the young people love the show.
"It's inspired so many generations of healthcare workers, so, I think for the young people, it's a really good piece of content and we're going to try to keep it going for the young people, not necessarily with me, but keep it going beyond me."
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