Grey’s Anatomy fans are worried about Link’s fate on the show thanks to Chris Carmack and his wife, Erin Slaver.
Ahead of the season 22 premiere, Carmack, 44, has often posted TikToks showing Slaver pranking him. A video from Sunday, September 28, received a surprising reaction when a social media user replied, “I am so concerned the reason you guys are doing so many pranks is because they killed off his character on Grey’s Anatomy and I’m very upset.”
The hit ABC series, which premieres on Thursday, October 9, will pick up after a hostage situation turned deadly. Viewers were left concerned about most of their favorite characters when season 21 ended with an explosion that only Meredith (Ellen Pompeo) and Warren (Jason George) officially survived — for now.
Showrunner Meg Marinis wouldn’t confirm and hinted that almost no one was guaranteed to return.
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“Well, I feel like a lot of people are probably sitting in operating rooms,” she told The Hollywood Reporter in May. “So unless you saw them and where they were when that explosion went off, I don’t think we can say anyone is necessarily safe.”
Marinis teased that she spoke with the cast about what to expect, adding, “I’ve had conversations with some of them, but they all know it’s a Grey’s Anatomy cliffhanger and they know every year they never know what to expect. They’re here for it. They like to keep our stories exciting and fresh.”
She continued: “But even in the last two seasons with what you saw this year, we had to reduce the cast a little bit [because of industry-wide budget cuts], and everybody has very passionate feelings about their favorite characters. But if we can get the writers upset then we know we’re doing it right. It’s not as satisfying a story if people aren’t upset when someone leaves. It’s supposed to make people upset and sad, so I’m sure there’ll be some arguments. But I’ve been persuaded before to change my mind on things.”
TVLine recently reported that original cast members Chandra Wilson and James Pickens Jr. are contracted to return. Kevin McKidd, Kim Raver, Caterina Scorsone and Camilla Luddington are also under contract to appear — if their characters aren’t written off. The only major player who was not on the list was Carmack.
“I hope we get to next season, right?” Carmack exclusively told Us Weekly in May. “I mean, hey, I’m not gonna give anything away.”
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Carmack’s onscreen wife Luddington, 41, meanwhile, said she was holding out hope.
“I just hope he’s alive,” she shared with Us in June. “And if there’s injury — what that is and what that looks like — I have no idea. So I feel like that is on my mind.”
Luddington added: “I just hope that my [onscreen] husband is OK. Because [Jo’s] gonna need that support and they need it from each other. So I think it’s gonna throw a wrench in things and it’s gonna be a lot. They have two kids and two kids on the way.”
Luddington confirmed that she “had no idea” what would happen, adding, “I have no idea. I have a text chain going on with so many cast members that are like, ‘What do you think?’ And we — nobody knows. No one knows, which is terrifying.”
Grey’s Anatomy returns to ABC on Thursday, October 9, at 10 p.m. ET before streaming the next day on Hulu.
