Grey’s Anatomy Halts Production Due to ICE Protests and Olympic Break

Grey’s Anatomy is temporarily halting production on season 22.

The acclaimed medical drama will not film on Friday, January 30, as initially scheduled, according to Deadline. This decision comes in light of a call for a national shutdown by University of Minnesota student groups amid ongoing anti-ICE protests.

Following reports that some crew members would not be attending, production decided to suspend filming temporarily. Filming is expected to resume on Saturday, January 31, and there have been no reports yet about other Hollywood productions being affected.

Grey’s Anatomy was already scheduled for a three-week break. It will return to its regular timeslot on February 26, having been preempted — likely due to the upcoming Winter Olympics. In the meantime, repeat episodes of 9-1-1 and 9-1-1: Nashville will air during Grey’s Anatomy’s usual slot. The episode airing on Thursday, January 29, concluded with Jo (Camilla Luddington) finally taking her newborns home and featured a return from Kate Walsh.

The show is set to return with a new episode that will include several guest stars. Deadline previously announced that Yellowstone’s Jen Landon will appear in four episodes as Dr. Tonight Wright, a new plastic surgery attending. Her character is described as having “a magnetic zest for life” and as being “a charming and disorganized mess who says yes more than no.” This role may be extended beyond the current season.

Additionally, new characters will be portrayed by Sara Paxton and Connor Price, appearing in episodes 11 and 12 of the season as a family member of a patient and a patient, respectively.

Grey’s Anatomy has seen significant cast changes this season. After the shocking passing of Monica (Natalie Morales), Amelia (Caterina Scorsone) opted for a sabbatical. Reports indicate that Scorsone’s break may last until later this year due to cost-saving measures.

The series is already scaling back the minimum guarantees for its veteran cast to 14 out of the 18 episodes per season. While some familiar faces will be absent for four episodes, Scorsone’s absence is notably longer.

Showrunner Meg Marinis hinted that not all characters may be safe this season.

“However, over the last two seasons with what you witnessed this year, we had to reduce the cast a bit [due to industry-wide budget cuts], and everyone feels strongly about their favorite characters,” Marinis told The Hollywood Reporter in May 2025. “We aim to create compelling stories, and if our writers are upset, it indicates we’re on the right track. It’s less satisfying if there’s no emotional weight when a character departs. This is designed to evoke sadness and provoke discussion, and while I might be persuaded to rethink certain ideas, it’s a necessary part of storytelling.”

Grey’s Anatomy airs on ABC Thursdays at 10 p.m. ET, with episodes available for streaming the following day on Hulu.