Grey's Anatomy Season 23 is officially bringing back another fired doctor in 2026, and his return is quite unexpected after what happened in the Season 22 finale. ABC's long-running medical drama has a history of firing doctors, often for serious mistakes or rule-breaking. Despite that, Grey's Anatomy also embraced the practice of frequently bringing back fired doctors after they've grown or when circumstances change. Following the major cast exits of Dr. Owen Hunt and Dr. Teddy Altman in the emotional Season 22 finale, the episode also revealed that Dr. Benson "Blue" Kwan (Harry Shum Jr.) was fired by Dr. Richard Webber after unlawfully administering an experimental hydrogel treatment to a liver cancer patient. Dr. Miranda Bailey tried to prevent the firing, but Webber insisted that his decision to fire Kwan was final.
With his fate uncertain, many are expecting him not to return in Grey's Anatomy Season 23, but a new official update cemented his comeback. ScreenRant's Fall TV Preview 2026 revealed the first look at Grey's Anatomy's 2026 season, confirming that Dr. Kwan is back in the upcoming slate of episodes. The image showed Kwan playing video games with medical intern Wes Bryant (Trevor Jackson) while Dr. Simone Griffith (Alexis Floyd) observes them from afar.
Kwan's return is exciting because it lays the groundwork for his potential redemption and rehiring at Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital.
Grey's Anatomy's Season 22 finale might have set a precedent on why Kwan would return. In the final installment, Kwan briefly helped during the bridge-collapse emergency because it was an all-hands-on-deck situation, but he was not reinstated at the time. It's possible that a big twist is in the cards for Kwan in Season 23 that would force Webber to rehire him.
Set photos (via TV Line) also revealed that Kwan is back in his usual hospital garb, suggesting he will have an active role within Grey Sloan. Kwan has repeatedly put the hospital and its patients first during his tenure, mirroring how other fired doctors have earned second chances.
There is a chance that another major crisis or external pressure (such as Catherine Fox's influence) could force Webber's hand and lead to Kwan's rehiring as a full-time surgical resident. Some have also theorized that Kwan might return in a limited capacity early in the season, gradually regaining his superiors' trust and then returning full-time.
Kwan could learn a thing or two from previously fired doctors at Grey Sloan, including Meredith Grey herself.
Every Major Grey's Anatomy Doctor Who Was Fired (and Later Rehired)
April Kepner
Dr. April Kepner (Sarah Drew) is a trauma surgeon and one of the longer-running characters in Grey's Anatomy, who began her journey in the show in Season 6. One of the major storylines in her debut season was the chaos that ensued during a major hotel fire that flooded the ER with patients in Season 6, Episode 6. Amid the disturbance, April failed to check her patient's (Cathy Becker) airway for soot inhalation, which led to the patient going into respiratory distress that ultimately led to her death.
After an investigation, Chief of Surgery Richard Webber determined that April's negligence (being distracted during the influx of patients) contributed to the patient's death, firing her from the surgical program.
Two episodes later, in Grey's Anatomy Season 6, Episode 8, Derek Shepherd, who had assumed the title of Chief of Surgery, reviewed Kepner's case and decided that the firing had been unfair given the extreme circumstances of that day. Shepherd rehired Kepner, believing April was a talented doctor who deserved a second chance.
This isn't the only time that Kepner was fired from Grey Sloan. In the Season 8 finale, Kepner was let go by the Chief of Surgery, Owen Hunt, after failing her oral board exams, citing the hospital's lack of budget to fund another year of residency.
In Grey's Anatomy Season 9, Episode 1, Hunt regretted his decision, and he eventually rehired Kepner as a surgical attending, allowing her to redeem herself, retake the boards, and pass with flying colors to continue as a trauma surgeon.
Leah Murphy
Leah Murphy (Tessa Ferrer) was a surgical resident at Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital, joining the program in Season 9. While she had a smooth first season, complications came in Season 10 when Chief of Surgery Richard Webber decided that one resident needed to be cut from the program. It only made matters worse when Murphy was the lone resident who had been struggling in the operating room.
Webber pointed out that her surgical skills did not meet the high standards expected and bluntly said she was not cut out to be a surgeon. Murphy was let go from the residency program.
However, Murphy took the firing as a lesson and worked for another hospital, where she focused on improving her surgical skills. She worked hard, raising her skill level to become a successful surgeon. Murphy eventually returned to Grey Sloan in Season 13, proving that she is capable of being rehired into the program.
Vikram "Vik" Roy
Vikram "Vik" Roy (Rushi Kota) was a surgical intern at Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital who started his stint in Season 14. Like April Kepner, Vik was fired from the hospital twice. In Grey's Anatomy Season 14, Episode 20, Vik ate a cookie laced with cannabis peanut batter, but he never admitted that he took one, so he became eligible for a surgical contest and continued working with patients.
While under the influence of, he panicked and accidentally stabbed himself in the arm with a scalpel. Chief of Surgery Richard Webber learned of Vik's lies and fired him on the spot for endangering patient safety.
Vik couldn't take the firing, so he sued Grey Sloan for wrongful termination, refusing to take any responsibility for his actions. Vik eventually agreed to drop the lawsuit in exchange for being paid for the weeks of work he had missed and receiving a formal apology from Miranda Bailey. They rehired Vik under a one-year probationary period, with Bailey micromanaging him "like a hawk."
Vik was later fired a second time in Season 15 by Alex Karev after failing to properly care for a patient with a nosebleed who later died. This second firing marked Vik's exit from the show, and he was never rehired.
Meredith Grey
Despite being the poster child for Grey's Anatomy, Meredith Grey has also been fired from Grey Sloan twice. In Season 7, Derek Shepherd was running a clinical trial for an experimental Alzheimer's treatment.
Adele Webber, Richard's wife, was enrolled in the study. Meredith secretly switched the envelopes that determined which patients got the treatment versus the placebo, ensuring Adele would receive the actual drug. This act of tampering invalidated the trial, and an investigation pulled back the curtain on the truth, leading to the hospital board's decision to fire her as a resident.
Meredith's firing derailed her career, nearly costing her the chance to adopt her eldest daughter, Zola. Richard Webber ultimately took the fall, lying to the board and claiming he had ordered Meredith to do it. This move allowed Meredith to be reinstated and keep her position at the hospital.
Meredith was fired again in the Season 15 finale due to insurance fraud. She was treating a young patient who had lymphoma and needed expensive surgery and ongoing care. The patient's father could not afford it and was denied state insurance coverage. Meredith stepped in and committed insurance fraud by listing the patient under her own daughter's name.
Andrew DeLuca initially took the fall for her, but the full truth later emerged, leading to the firing of Richard Webber, Alex Karev, and Meredith Grey in the Season 15 finale after they admitted to committing the insurance fraud.
Following a tough time involving legal consequences and a tension-filled medical board, Meredith ultimately retained her medical license, with Bailey allowing her to return to work at Grey Sloan.
Megan Nowland
Megan Nowland was a surgical intern and resident working under Meredith Grey's team of interns. During the Season 6 merger between Seattle Grace Hospital and Mercy West Medical Center, the hospital laid off interns and residents to reduce staff. Nowland was among those cut from the program in the first round of dismissals.
After being hired, Megan sued the hospital for wrongful termination, alleging discrimination. When Derek Shepherd became Chief of Surgery later in Season 6, he rehired Megan, telling her he wanted her to have a fresh start and promising she would never be fired again.
