Jesse Williams Calls Sarah Drew's Grey's Anatomy Exit "Unfortunate"

There's still a bit of salt in the wound for Grey's Anatomy fans and some cast members about Sarah Drew and Jessica Capshaw's exit from the show this year.

Both Drew and Capshaw were written off of the show at the end of Season 14 after producers announced in March that the creative arc of their stories had come to a close. Jesse Williams, who plays April's (Drew) ex-husband Jackson on the hospital drama, is still grieving that his close co-workers won't be returning to set this fall.

"I mean, the whole thing is sad. It's unfortunate," Williams told Entertainment Tonight on the NBA Awards red carpet on Monday (June 25) in Los Angeles. "That's my partner, my road dog, so it was unpleasant, but she's such a professional and did such incredible work down to the last frame and I'm really proud to have had our time together."

Sorry, Guys: Scott Speedman Probably Won't Return to Grey's Anatomy

Williams was also one of the first of his cast mates to express his dismay at the writers' decision when Capshaw and Drew's exits were first announced.

"Sarah and Jessica are easily among my very favorite people and coworkers, so this news f**kin' sucks. Their immense talent speaks for itself but it's them as people that I'm so grateful to know, privileged to have worked with and learned from," Williams tweeted back in March.

The bittersweet news is that both April and Arizona (Capshaw) were left alive and pursuing their happy endings off screen at the end of Season 14. That means there is room for them to come back and rejoin the show later on down the line should Grey Sloan need them back again.

Grey's Anatomy returns Thursday, Sept. 27 at 8/7c on ABC.