Patrick Dempsey’s Affair With ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Co-Worker The Real Reason Behind Quick Exit [Report]

To many, Patrick Dempsey’s exit from Grey’s Anatomy just didn’t make sense. The actor signed a two-year contract that would keep him on the show up until Season 12, and although we’ve seen other original characters depart from the series prematurely, Dempsey’s Dr. Shepherd was a massive influence on the show’s popularity.

Some just can’t believe that creator Shonda Rhimes would willingly want to write him off the show. So something must have happened to force her hand, right? Well, some theorists are reporting something went on behind the scenes that caused Rhimes, who has a “no BS policy,” to fire Dempsey from Grey’s Anatomy.

According to InTouch, Patrick Dempsey carried on an extramarital affair on the set of Grey’s Anatomy. A source told InTouch that while his marriage to Jillian Fink has been on the rocks, their recent impending divorce and his exit from the show isn’t due to Dempsey being spread thin, as he had told reporters.

“Patrick had an inappropriate relationship with a young woman who worked on the set.”

Not only was his marriage of fifteen years allegedly strained by this affair, but his close friendship with co-star Ellen Pompeo was ruined. It’s said that despite being close friends, Ellen and Patrick’s friendship has also been on the rocks.

“There was tension in Patrick and Ellen’s relationship for years before the final blowup. [She] was sick of his behavior on and off set.”

Then, the actress who plays his on-screen wife found out about Dempsey’s alleged infidelity and flipped.

“[His co-star] Ellen Pompeo found out and was angry because she’s close friends with Jillian, so of course, she told her.”

The source continued, “Patrick found out that Ellen told his wife about the relationship and totally lost it. They had a huge blowup on the set in front of everyone.”

After the news blew up behind the scenes, Shonda took matters into her own hands and killed off Dempsey’s character. Although Dempsey had more time left in his contract, the producers apparently just “didn’t want him causing trouble.”

After Patrick Dempsey’s final episode aired, the actor did release a statement, including an exclusive interview via Entertainment Weekly.

When asked about why he had left in the middle of the season, Dempsey said this, “(Pause) It just sort of evolved. It just kind of happened. [Being written off] was something that was kind of surprising and uh, just naturally came to be. I like the way it has all played out.”

He continued, “Things happened very quickly… It was just a natural progression, the way the story was unfolding, the way everything was unfolding in a very organic way. It was like, Okay! This was obviously the right time.”

It should be noted that it did take Ellen Pompeo a few days to come up with a statement after Dempsey’s last episode aired on Grey’s. In her statement, she did not mention her years working with Patrick Dempsey or Derek.

Happy Monday! pic.twitter.com/dSnfKPLQl7

— Ellen Pompeo (@EllenPompeo) April 27, 2015

For years, the Grey’s Anatomy cast has been at the center of many tabloids due to the dramatic nature of behind the scenes fights and vocal cast members. That said, if infidelity happened on the set of the show, would that be enough of a reason to fire an original cast member?

Do you believe the rumors about Patrick Dempsey’s off-screen affair?

[Image via ABC]