Grey's Anatomy Season 21 ended its first episode with a touching tribute to the late Stephanie Leifer, leading many to seek out more information about her.
Season 21, Episode 1 saw plenty of conflict and drama as the series came back thanks to Catherine Avery firing several top personnel at Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital.
This, combined with Ellen Pompeo's return to the story as Meredith Grey, upped the anticipation for where the rest of the season will go. However, the episode concluded on a bit of a sad note thanks to an end-of-episode tribute card.
Who Is Stephanie Leifer on Grey's Anatomy?
Grey's Anatomy Season 21, Episode 1 concluded with a tribute card for the late Stephanie Leifer, which read, "In memory of Stephanie Leifer."
Leifer was a programming executive who worked for ABC and ABC Signature for 28 years. She last served as the head of current programming at ABC Signature before exiting the role in 2022, having been involved with hit shows like Grey's Anatomy, Lost, and Ugly Betty.
Leifer passed away on June 28, 2024, after the executive lost her hard-fought battle with cancer at 56 years old.
Leifer started her run at ABC as a TV movie department assistant, working her way up to multiple executive roles. Before joining ABC Signature, she was the senior vice president of comedy development for ABC.
Switching to the studio side in 2006 as executive vice president of current programming, she oversaw the studio's programming, which included shows like Grey's Anatomy.
A Disney Entertainment TV spokesman praised Leifer for her work at Disney and ABC, offering the company's condolences to her husband and their two children:
"Stephanie was a beloved member of the Disney Entertainment Television family for nearly three decades, and our hearts are broken by the devastating news of her passing. She was a highly admired executive, whose creative impact was only matched by the relationships she nurtured both within the company and across the industry. Our sincerest condolences go out to her family, especially her husband and our colleague, Jonathan, and their two beautiful children, Amelia and Noah."
In Deadline's coverage of the Season 21 premiere, showrunner Meg Marinis commented on her own relationship with Leifer following her passing.
Calling Leifer "an incredible person and devoted champion" of her series, Marinis explained how her boss always supported her team and her vision while praising her for being so "encouraging to writers:"
"Stephanie Leifer was an incredible person and devoted champion of 'Grey’s.' She truly believed in us from the early years all the way through and supported our creative vision. I started my career as a PA, delivering 'Grey’s' scripts to her office, and I remember her door always being open. She was so encouraging to writers and attended several 'Grey’s' milestone events. It was a heartbreaking loss for this family."
The Direct sends its deepest condolences to Stephanie Leifer's family, her friends, and the entire Grey's Anatomy community during this difficult time.
