‘I Need Her to Be Chief’: ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Star Drops Her Big-Picture Wish for Her Fan-Favorite Character (Exclusive)
The ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ star is dreaming big about her character’s long-term future.
Camilla Luddington has big plans for Jo Wilson, and they involve a major promotion.
The Grey’s Anatomy star, who has played the fan-favorite surgeon since Season 9, exclusively told Parade about the long-term dream she has for her character on the long-running ABC medical drama. The answer? A career glow-up worthy of Grey Sloan Memorial’s biggest dreams.
“Big, big picture, like one day I need her to be chief,” Luddington said, referring to the chief of surgery role currently held by Teddy Altman (Kim Raver). “I don’t know what that would look like, but I want that.”
The timing of Luddington’s wish is striking. Raver, who has played Teddy since Season 6, is set to exit the show as a series regular after the Season 22 finale, meaning the chief of surgery position is about to open up just as Camilla is publicly campaigning for Jo to one day take it.
A Major Cast Shakeup at Grey Sloan
The reveal comes at a pivotal moment for the long-running medical drama. Grey’s Anatomy was officially renewed for Season 23 by ABC in March, but the renewal arrives alongside confirmed budget cuts and the departures of two longtime series regulars. Kevin McKidd, who plays Owen Hunt, and Kim Raver, who plays Teddy Altman, are both set to exit as series regulars after the Season 22 finale. With the cast shrinking around her, Luddington’s Jo is one of the characters fans are expecting to anchor whatever comes next.
The actress didn’t shy away from the emotional weight of the changes. “Kim and Kevin leaving is tough,” she said. “It’s really hard. To lose any family member, is what it feels like.”
The Chief wishlist lands after one of the most physically and emotionally brutal seasons of Jo’s entire run. In Season 22, Jo suffered heart failure during her pregnancy, underwent an emergency C-section to save her premature twin girls and barely pulled through the medical crisis that defined the show’s winter premiere. “I think I was dying twice,” Luddington joked.
Behind the scenes, the grueling storyline coincided with Luddington’s own real-life health journey. The actress, who was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s disease in 2025, has been managing the autoimmune condition while juggling one of TV’s most demanding shooting schedules.
As for what she wants Jo’s next chapter to look like beyond the Chief dream, Luddington said honesty remains at the center.
“I would like for her to continue being honest and real in the struggle she’s having with work and being a parent,” she told Parade. “I think it’s important to continue to show that.”
Real-Life Mom Chaos
That parallel between Jo and her real life isn’t accidental. The actress, who shares two kids—eight-year-old daughter Hayden and five-year-old son Lucas—with husband Matthew Alan, said her own working-mom reality can be just as messy as her character’s. “I love them dearly, but I gave birth to some really fussy eaters,” Luddington said with a laugh. “I’m a tired mom who can’t cook. There’s a lot of them hating the meals that I make.”
The day-to-day chaos is exactly what led her to partner with Get’ems Squeezies, the new Gerber pouch line that lets kids enjoy real fruit-and-veggie smoothies as either a drinkable pouch or a freezable ice pop. For Luddington, the win isn’t just about the snack.
“I love not having to fight over snacks anymore. And not feel guilty about it,” she said. “Like, I could throw them a doughnut and they’d be fine. But this is made with real fruits and veggies, no added sugar. I feel like I’m winning as a mom.”
Grey’s Anatomy Season 23 is expected to premiere on ABC in fall 2026.
