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It’s been over a decade since Cristina Yang scrubbed out of Grey’s Anatomy for the last time. And fans are still not over it. In May 2014, Sandra Oh said goodbye to the fan-favorite role after ten seasons, leaving millions of viewers slightly heartbroken and wildly nostalgic.
Unlike most characters in the Grey’s universe (where the Grim Reaper clearly has a VIP pass), Cristina got what might be the show’s most graceful exit. She just moved to Zurich. With a dream job, it still feels rare even by today’s standards.
Why Did Sandra Oh Leave Grey’s Anatomy?
Sandra Oh announced her decision to leave in 2013, a year after signing a final two-season deal. She’d been thinking about it for a while and told The Hollywood Reporter that she knew, creatively, she was ready to let Cristina go. “It’s such an interesting thing to play a character for so long and to actually get the sense that she wants to be let go as well. [Cristina] wants to be let go, and I am ready to let her go.”
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The story matched the moment. Season 10 saw Cristina reconnect (briefly) with her old flame, Dr. Preston Burke, years after their dramatic almost-wedding. He didn’t come back with romance. He came back with a job offer. He wanted her to run his high-tech research hospital in Switzerland. And let’s be real, if anyone was going to take their scalpel and fly off into a prosperous future, it was Cristina.
She said her goodbyes and passed the torch (or her shares in the hospital, actually) to Alex Karev. Her final scene? A wordless moment outside the OR gallery, watching Meredith.
A Decade Later, Cristina Yang’s Presence Still Echoes In Grey’s Anatomy
Since her exit, Cristina’s name hasn’t vanished from the halls of Grey Sloan. She’s been sneakily involved from afar. She texted Owen in Season 17 to check on Meredith when she had COVID. She sent Meredith her support during her medical license hearing in Season 16.
And just in Season 19, Episode 16, Cristina made an unexpected move, sending emergency supplies to Addison and Bailey’s mobile clinic. No cameo and surprise appearance, but those little updates have kept the character alive. A stand-in even filled her shoes at Derek’s funeral back in Season 11; no one saw her face, but everyone knew it was Cristina.
Now that Ellen Pompeo has stepped back as a full-time lead, fans dream of legacy characters making a brief return. Sandra Oh has made it clear she’s moved on, thriving with roles in Killing Eve and beyond. But if the moment’s right, and the storyline fits, and especially with the show’s current focus on reproductive rights, Cristina could have a powerful reason to pop back in.
Because if anyone’s going to fight for patients and push surgical limits, it’s Cristina Yang. Ten years later, her exit still feels like one of the few times Grey’s Anatomy got it absolutely right!
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