--- description: "Patrick obviously has lots of interests outside" title: Shonda Rhimes Explains Why She Killed McDreamy image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt2b01cae8cfc0b476/69885defe53aba36d74deeea/gettyimages-482962366.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Entertainment](/section/entertainment/) ## Entertainment Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Shonda Rhimes Details Why She Killed McDreamy on _Grey's Anatomy_: 'That Was the Only Way' by [Natalie Abrams / Entertainment Weekly](/author/entertainment-weekly/) ## Natalie Abrams / Entertainment Weekly Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Aug 5, 2015 3:02 AM CUT  Executive producer Shonda Rhimes, left, and actress Ellen Pompeo speak at The Beverly Hilton Hotel on Aug. 4, 2015, in Beverly Hills, Calif. Executive producer Shonda Rhimes, left, and actress Ellen Pompeo speak at The Beverly Hilton Hotel on Aug. 4, 2015, in Beverly Hills, Calif.Frederick M. Brown—Getty Images by [Natalie Abrams / Entertainment Weekly](/author/entertainment-weekly/) ## Natalie Abrams / Entertainment Weekly Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Aug 5, 2015 3:02 AM CUT Shonda Rhimes is breaking her silence on why she killed off McDreamy. Previously, the writer-producer [gave a brief statement on her shocking decision](http://www.ew.com/article/2015/04/23/shonda-rhimes-patrick-dempsey-shepherd-dead "undefined") when the episode aired in April. Now, Rhimes is detailing her creative reasoning behind the move. Here’s why Derek (Patrick Dempsey) died when he did: “The decision to have the character die was not a difficult one,” Rhimes told reporters at the Television Critics Association’s press tour on Tuesday. “What were the options? Derek was going to walk out on Meredith and leave her high and dry and what was that going to mean? That was going to suggest that their love was not true, that the thing we said for 11 years was a lie, and McDreamy wasn’t McDreamy. For me, that was untenable. Meredith and Derek’s love had to remain Meredith and Derek’s love. So as painful as that was for me as a storyteller, the only way to preserve what felt true to me was that Derek was going to have to die in order for that to remain honest. I really couldn’t have the idea that he turned out to be a bad guy who walked out on his wife and his kids, \[and have that turn\] out to be a true story. To me, that was the only way to make Meredith and Derek’s magic remain true and remain frozen in time.” Earlier, ABC President Paul Lee stood by Rhimes’ decision. “It was great, wasn’t it?” the executive said. “It was great to see _Grey’s Anatomy_ so relevant and taking the national conversation in its 11th season. It was a difficult decision. Patrick obviously has lots of interests outside. He’s very big in motosport. Shonda decided that was the way to go.” Toward the close of season 11, Derek Shepherd – one of the show’s original characters – died after his car was struck by a semi-truck and he received poor medical care at a smaller hospital. The ABC drama saw a huge surge in the ratings in turn, with 9.4 million people tuning in to witness the grim fate of Dr. Shepherd — though not everyone was particularly happy with the show’s sudden turn. Still, Lee believes this new direction will reinvigorate the show as it heads into season 12\. “We’ve seen the pitch for _Grey’s_ next season,” he continued. “The show reinvents itself again. She really is a remarkable showrunner and we have no reason to expect that _Grey’s Anatomy_ won’t go on for many years to come. [_This story originally appeared on EW.com_](http://www.ew.com/article/2015/08/04/greys-anatomy-derek-death-paul-lee "undefined") ### See the Most Memorable On-Screen Couples  Peter and Ellie - It Happened One Night, 1934 Columbia Pictures/Getty Images  Scarlett and Rhett - Gone With The Wind, 1939 Silver Screen Collection/Archive Photos/Getty Images  Walter Burns and Hildy Johnson - His Girl Friday, 1940 Columbia Pictures/Getty Images  Rich Blaine and Isla Lund - Casablanca, 1942 Popperfoto/Getty Images  Ricky and Lucy - I Love Lucy, 1951 Archive Photos/Getty Images  Don Lockwood and Kathy Seldon- Singin' in the Rain, 1952 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer/Getty Images  Tony and Maria - West Side Story, 1961 United Artists/Getty Images  Holly Golightly and Paul - Breakfast at Tiffany's, 1961 Movie Poster Image Art/Getty Images  Bonnie and Clyde - Bonnie and Clyde, 1967 Fotos International/Getty Images  Katie and Hubbell - The Way We Were, 1973 Columbia/Getty Images  Danny Zuko and Sandy Olsen - Grease, 1978 Paramount Pictures/Fotos International/Getty Images  Han Solo and Leia Organa - The Empire Strikes Back, 1980 Lucasfilm  Sam and Diane - Cheers, 1982 NBC/Getty Images  Frances 'Baby' Houseman and Johnny Castle - Dirty Dancing, 1987 Vestron/Getty Images  Wesley and Princess Buttercup - The Princess Bride, 1987 20th Century Fox  Harry Burns and Sally Albright - When Harry Met Sally, 1989 Hulton Archive/Getty Images  Vivian and Edward - Pretty Woman, 1990 Buena Vista/Getty Images  Beauty and the Beast - Beauty and the Beast, 1991 Disney  Cory and Topanga - Boy Meets World, 1993 SGranitz—WireImage/Getty Images  Jenny Curran and Forrest Gump - Forrest Gump, 1994 Paramount Pictures  Ross and Rachel - Friends, 1994 NBC/Getty Images  Doug and Carol - E.R., 1994 NBC/Getty Images  Jack and Rose - Titanic, 1997 20th Century Fox/Getty Images  Buffy and Angel - Buffy the Vampire Slayer, 1997 Getty Images  Carrie and Big - Sex and the City, 1998 HBO/Getty Images  Patrick Verona and Kat Stratford - 10 Things I Hate About You, 1999 Buena Vista/Getty Images  Noah and Allie - The Notebook, 2004 New Line Cinema  Jack and Ennis - Brokeback Mountain, 2005 Focus Films  Tom and Summer - (500) Days of Summer, 2009 Fox Searchlight  Carl and Ellie - Up, 2009 Pixar/Disney ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3985086/shonda-rhimes-patrick-dempsey-mcdreamy-greys-anatomy/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3985086/shonda-rhimes-patrick-dempsey-mcdreamy-greys-anatomy/"},"headline":"Shonda Rhimes Details Why She Killed McDreamy on Grey's Anatomy: 'That Was the Only Way'","datePublished":"2015-08-05T03:02:34.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T05:02:10.080Z","description":"\"Patrick obviously has lots of interests outside\"","url":"https://time.com/3985086/shonda-rhimes-patrick-dempsey-mcdreamy-greys-anatomy/","keywords":["Television"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt2b01cae8cfc0b476/69885defe53aba36d74deeea/gettyimages-482962366.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Natalie Abrams / Entertainment Weekly"}],"articleSection":"Entertainment","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt2b01cae8cfc0b476/69885defe53aba36d74deeea/gettyimages-482962366.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"2015 Summer TCA Tour - Day 8","caption":"2015 Summer TCA Tour - Day 8","creditText":"Frederick M. 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