Grey’s Anatomy set to introduce a new gay character in season 21

A new gay character is set to appear in long-running medical drama Grey’s Anatomy.

Shonda Rhimes’ show, which first aired in 2005, will welcome a gay male chaplain before the departure of other fan-favourite characters, TVLine reported. 

Jake Borelli has played gay Dr Levi Schmitt since 2017 but the chief resident will walk out of the doors of Grey-Sloan Memorial Hospital for the final time in the upcoming 21st season. The character was one half of the medical drama’s first gay romance, with Dr Nico Kim (Alex Landi).

Borelli came out as gay in November 2018 in line with the sixth episode of season 15 where Schmitt also came out as gay. Midori Francis, who plays the bisexual Dr Mika Yasuda, will also be leaving after the new season.

According to reports, the new chaplain is a superhero fanboy and openly gay. The character is said to have a recurring presence throughout the new season and many fans are already speculating who, if anyone, his love interest will be.

Over the past 20 seasons, Grey’s has followed the medical staff through high-pressure and intensely emotional surgeries and stories. During that time, the show has welcomed a number of LGBTQ+ characters, including orthopaedic surgeon Callie Torres (Sara Ramirez), who dated both men and women, and children’s doctor and former head of foetal surgery Arizona Robbins (The L Word star Jessica Capshaw), who was introduced in season five.

There is no release date yet for season 21 of Grey’s Anatomy.