Grey’s Anatomy Season 22 Reveals Shocking Death

Grey’s Anatomy’s season 22 premiere sees the heartbreaking death of a beloved doctor, and the actor behind the character reveals how she truly feels about her demise. Taking place after the fatal explosion in the hospital, the first episode sees the series’ protagonists fighting for their lives while trying to rescue their patients.

Season 21’s finale left viewers on the edge of their seats, leaving several characters’ fates up in the air. And, in the first episode of Grey’s Anatomy season 22, it is revealed that Monica Beltran (Natalie Morales), an attending pediatric surgeon at Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital, was a casualty.

In an interview with Deadline, Morales spoke about how she felt when she learned her character’s time on the show was coming to an end. The actor stated that she had no hard feelings about Beltran’s fate and explained how she was grateful for her time on the show.

It was obviously a mix of things. I’ve been so lucky to be a part of this show, and I feel very grateful to have been a part of it. I think the fandom of this show has been so kind to me and so welcoming, and I think those people that have been welcoming to me are going to be pissed. I’m sorry about that.

Morales also praised the way the showrunners and writers handled Beltran’s exit.

But I also think that Meg is an incredibly talented writer and showrunner, and I will say one of the best people I’ve ever worked with, truly. She was so kind and so on top of it all the time that when she told me the plan, I was like, Oh, that feels right. I get why you’re doing that, and it makes sense to me. Although I’m sad about it, it really works for the story. I think she just did a great job.

Beltran’s death occurred after she and Grey Sloan intern, Jules Millin (Adelaide Kane), performed surgery on a young child. The doctor was trapped under some medical equipment as she directed the intern through the operation. While the boy and Jules made it out alive, the pediatric surgeon sadly succumbed to her injuries before the firefighters broke down the doors to rescue them.

Morales started out as a Grey’s Anatomy guest star in season 20 of the medical drama. In season 21, her character became a series regular.

Another character viewers were concerned about after the previous season’s finale was Dr. Atticus Lincoln (Chris Carmack). Thankfully, he made it out of the premiere alive despite the severe condition he was in. He was saved by his colleagues, Owen Hunt (Kevin McKidd), Teddy Altman (Kim Raver), Winston Ndugu (Anthony Hill), and Miranda Bailey (Chandra Wilson).