Many fan theories can be taken with a grain of salt, as people love to come up with all kinds of rumors about celebrities. But in the case of Patrick Dempsey and his exit from 'Grey's Anatomy,' fans actually had the right idea.
It's been a long time since Patrick left the show, though he did return for that notable dream sequence with Ellen Pompeo. In the years since, fans who originally shared their thoughts about why he had left the show learned they were vindicated.
Fans Suggested Patrick Dempsey's Personal Life Impacted 'Grey's'
A full six years ago, one fan posted to Reddit, speculating that there was "something fishy" about Patrick Dempsey's exit from 'Grey's'. They suggested that the exit wasn't "smooth" and "clean" the way that other actors' had been.
Further, the fan surmised, show creator Shonda Rimes was even quoted as saying that she "never imagined" killing off McDreamy. That had fans thinking Shonda was given the abrupt news that Dempsey would be leaving and had to piece something together so that the show could go on somewhat smoothly without him.
Fans tended to agree that Patrick's departure from the show wasn't well done, and it seemed like his character's demise didn't have a lot of effort invested in it. So, they assumed that it had been rushed and that there was one significant factor that caused Patrick to back out: his marriage.
Fans Though Patrick Dempsey's Marriage Made Him Quit
In a not-so-nice sum-up of their theory, one fan claimed that Patrick's at-the-time divorce proceedings (Dempsey and his wife later called off the split) probably affected the show. Some commenters went so far as to say that Patrick's wife, Jillian Fink, didn't want him continuing the show.
Interestingly, after he quit the series, they went on to fix their marriage and are still together -- and apparently happy -- today.
Fans Had A Point About Patrick's Relationship
So how did the fan theory turn out to be correct? Fans were right that Patrick's job threw a wrench in his marriage (and vice versa). Because of the long hours on set ('Grey's' was a big commitment), sources say, Jillian's claim that her husband had a "lack of time" was legitimate.
Clearly, it was more than just not seeing each other that caused issues in the couple's marriage. But Patrick being a big and busy star likely didn't help their home life, and it was part of the reason the couple almost split.
Patrick even admitted at one point that he "should have" left 'Grey's Anatomy' even sooner than he did, for his personal life. Fans probably don't like that they were right, but it's interesting that they were.