Does Teddy Die on Grey’s Anatomy? A Spoiler For Next Season Reveals if She Really Flatlined

Not Teddy! The Chief of Surgery collapsed at the end of Grey’s Anatomy’s two-hour Season 19 finale in a dramatic ending. Does Teddy Altman die on Grey’s Anatomy? Here’s everything we know about the cliffhanger – including the leak that spoiled whether Kim Raver is coming back for Season 20.

Grey’s Anatomy is ABC’s hit medical drama, based in Seattle, Washington, that focuses on the lives of surgical interns, residents and attendings at Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital (previously known as Seattle Grace Hospital and Seattle Grace Mercy West). Actress Kim Raver portrays Dr. Teddy Altman, the Chief of Surgery and attending cardiothoracic surgeon at Grey Sloan. She first appeared in the medical drama in Season 6, Episode 9, “New History,” back in November 2009, then left after Season 8 and returned in Season 14. Her character is married to Owen Hunt, the Head of Trauma at Grey Sloan, and the pair met when were serving in the military together. They have two children, daughter Allison Hunt and son Leo Hunt.

In Season 19, the actress made her directorial debut by directing Episode 1,  “Training Day,” on March 23, 2023. She recounted the incredible experience to ET Online in March 2023. “I had the best time. It was hilarious, at one point I had my fake walkie-talkie as Teddy, chief. And then I had my real walkie-talkie to talk to the crew as director. It just felt very much like I was imitating Teddy but as me. But directing this cast and having this amazing crew was really, it was a dream for me. And Debbie Allen was my mentor, is my mentor.” Despite starring on the show for nine seasons, the actress revealed that getting to direct didn’t come easy. “I think people will feel like, ‘Oh, you’re on Grey’s, you’ll get to direct,’ and you really have to earn it with [Debbie], which is amazing. I really had to go through all of the steps and learn from her and it was literally like ‘Training Day,'” Raver said. “And that’s what I felt like in order to get there. Thank God because this episode is huge.”

Now, back to the action-packed Season 19 finale. Does Teddy die on Grey’s Anatomy and is Kim Raver leaving the beloved medical show? See the answer below.

Does Teddy Altman die on Grey’s Anatomy?

Does Teddy Altman die on Grey’s Anatomy? We’re not sure, but based on new information we learned about Season 20, it looks like Teddy won’t die after all. Before the finale aired, Deadline reported that Kim Raver will return as a series regular for Season 20, along with longtime fan favorites like James Pickens Jr., Chandra Wilson, and Raver’s on-screen husband, Kevin McKidd. This fact makes it highly unlikely that Teddy will be killed off when Season 20 returns this fall. Variety confirmed on March 24, 2023, that Grey’s Anatomy was renewed for a 20th season by ABC.

So, what happened to Teddy Altman in the Season 19 finale of Grey’s Anatomy? At the end of the two-part episode, Chief Altman collapsed in the operating room just as she’s about to do emergency surgery. Teddy was suffering from a bad toothache all day,  and she didn’t have time to go see the dentist. At one point in the episode, she asked surgical resident Dr. Levi Schmitt to look inside her mouth to see if he saw anything (but because Schmitt is not a dentist, he couldn’t help her).

When Teddy fell unconscious in the ER, Yasuda rushed to her side and was alarmed when she couldn’t find a pulse. The new interns were faced with an incomparable situation; they had to operate on Sam Sutton with supervision, who was dying on the operation table, and try to revive Teddy, who was slipping away before their eyes. Finally, the news broke to Owen that Teddy was down and he rushed to her side. When he saw that she wasn’t breathing, he tried to revive her using a defibrillator. The cliffhanger ended with Teddy’s condition unknown.

Is Kim Raver leaving Grey’s Anatomy?

Is Kim Raver leaving Grey’s Anatomy? No, Kim Raver is not leaving Grey’s Anatomy. Not only is she confirmed to star in the 2023-2024 season as a series regular, but in a March 2023 interview with TV Insider, the actress gave no indication of exiting anytime soon.

“I just am trying to stay very in the moment because I feel like I’m having such an amazing time. Because it’s such an established show, I am able to have the opportunity to expand myself as an artist. For example, getting to direct,” Raver explained to the publication. “When you’re just creating a new show and you’re in the first season, there’s so much going on trying to develop and establish that I feel very present the moment that we are in. And I love that we’re looking into Season 20, and I feel like I’m getting to expand as a creative and as an artist in the very place that I’m at.”

For Season 20, executive producer Meg Marinis will take over as showrunner from Krista Vernoff, who announced that she was stepping down after Season 19. The show also said goodbye to Kelly McCreary as Maggie Pierce and the one and only Meredith Grey played by Ellen Pompeo (although we suspect that Pompeo will frequently come back as a guest star to reprise her role in future seasons of Grey’s Anatomy).

Grey’s Anatomy airs Thursdays at 9 p.m. on ABC.

Check out the real-life partners of your favorite Grey’s Anatomy stars in the gallery below.