Grey's Anatomy bid farewell to Kelly McCreary's Maggie Pierce after nine seasons on Thursday night's two-hour episode. McCreary, who played the character since Season 10, announced her departure in mid-March. However, fans will see her return as a guest star in the Season 19 finale alongside Ellen Pompeo's Meredith Grey.

In an interview, McCreary revealed that her decision to leave was influenced by the Season 18 finale, where Maggie questioned her relationship with her estranged husband Winston.

She felt that the show is about characters growing and learning, and she believed it was time for Maggie to move on. McCreary expressed gratitude to showrunner Krista Vernoff for understanding her decision.

Although McCreary wasn't aware of Pompeo's plan to leave the series when she made her decision, she expressed openness to returning in the future. In her final arc, Maggie didn't receive a grand send-off like Meredith but had a heartfelt goodbye with her father Richard before accepting a new job in Chicago.

The actress shared that she understood if they wanted to kill off her character but appreciated the chosen ending, which aligned with Maggie's growth.

Regarding her return in the Season 19 finale, McCreary confirmed that Maggie will reappear, giving her and Winston another chance to talk. Reflecting on her last scene, she mentioned filming a coffee cart scene with Amelia (Caterina Scorsone), which unexpectedly turned out to be her final scene due to scheduling.

Despite the emotions surrounding her departure, McCreary expressed excitement about returning for the finale and mentioned the abundance of hugs during the farewell.

Overall, Grey's Anatomy fans said their temporary goodbyes to Kelly McCreary's Maggie Pierce, appreciating her character's development throughout the nine seasons while eagerly anticipating her guest appearance in the season finale.