36 Bad Things That Have Happened To Meredith Grey

To say Meredith Grey has had a tough run on Grey’s Anatomy would be the understatement of the century.

Being Meredith’s friend, family member, or lover is basically a death sentence on this show. Even for her loved ones who don’t die a tragic and unnecessary death, they usually leave her behind and start a new life somewhere else.

Then there are the many, many disasters that have happened throughout the show’s 19 seasons — ranging from plane crashes, shootings, and most recently the coronavirus pandemic — which Meredith is typically right in the middle of, often finding herself in traumatic situations, or on the brink of death.

Poor Meredith has endured nothing but terrible life events, so we decided to catalogue all the worst things that have happened to the unlucky in love surgeon. And yes, we mean the absolute worst because we had to cut the list somewhere and if we listed absolutely everything, we’d be writing this story for almost as long as the series has aired.

36 bad things that have happened to Meredith Grey on Grey’s Anatomy:

Warning! Spoilers ahead if you’re not up to date with the latest season! 

1. Her one-night stand turned out to be a neurosurgeon she would be working under at her new job.

2. Her esteemed surgeon mother, Ellis, had Alzheimer’s and she kept it a secret from all her colleagues.

We also learn Meredith had a difficult upbringing as her mum is well, simply put… not an overly nice person. In one particularly heartless moment when Ellis is lucid, she tells her daughter: “I raised you to be an extraordinary human being, so imagine my disappointment when I wake up after five years and discover that you’re no more than ordinary.” Poor Mer! Savage!

3. She found out her boyfriend, Derek, was married.

4. Her boyfriend, Derek, got back with his wife, Addison.

5. Her best friend, George, was in love with her but she didn’t feel the same.

6. She was stuck holding an undetonated bomb that was lodged in someone’s stomach.

Then Meredith had to deal with the guilt from the bomb diffuser dying, after removing the device and it exploding while in his grasp.

7. She almost drowned after she was knocked into the water after a ferry crash.

At least she got to catch up with Denny in the afterlife.

8. Her mum, Ellis, became lucid for the first time in ages — then she died.

9. Her stepmum, Susan, died from hiccup complications.

It happens!

10. Her dad blamed Meredith for killing his wife, Susan, and he became an alcoholic.

11. Her estranged half-sister, Lexie, joined her hospital as an intern.

12. Her best friend, Izzy, discovered she had a brain tumour and almost died.

13. Her best friend, George, was hit by a bus and died.

#JusticeForGeorge

14. Then her best friend Izzy got fired from the hospital and moved to Kansas

15. During a shooting at the hospital, she had a miscarriage and lost her baby.

16. During the same episode her boyfriend, Derek, was shot and almost died.

17. She was almost fired for tampering with a clinical trial for Alzheimer’s.

Meredith switched the placebo with the actual drug to ensure that Richard’s wife, Adele, was getting the real treatment. Her heart was in the right place, but in terms of ethics, her actions were straight-up wrong.

18. Her sister, Lexie, died in a plane crash.

Mark died too, but Lexie hit much harder. She was a ray of sunshine! I’m still not over this!

19. She finally fell pregnant then fell down the stairs and was forced into labour during a superstorm.

Thankfully, her newborn son was fine!

20. She found out that her mum had a secret daughter with Richard named Maggie, and she happened to be the new surgeon starting at the hospital.

21. Her bestest friend (and person), Cristina, moved to Minnesota temporarily.

Bye!!

22. Her bestest friend (and person), Cristina, moved to Switzerland permanently.

Bye!!!!!!!

23. Her adopted daughter, Zola, was almost taken away.

24. Her husband, Derek, left her to go to Washington and work for The President.

25. Her husband, Derek, died after being hit by a truck, and his death was deemed avoidable.

After being taken to a nearby hospital — not Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital –– it became clear that the doctors were not experienced enough to treat Derek’s injuries and most egregiously, they didn’t even perform a CT scan. Derek narrates the doctors’ many mistakes before he dies. It’s grim!

26. Overcome with grief, Meredith left her job and Seattle behind.

27. She returned to later find out the doctor who played a part in Derek’s death, Penny, had started working at the hospital.

Penny reminds Meredith of Derek’s death every time she sees her. Grey’s Anatomy writers are masochists, there I said it!

28. Her estranged father, Thatcher, died of Leukemia.

29. She was attacked by a patient, breaking several limbs and had to have her jar wired shut.

When a car accident victim was rushed to the hospital, as Meredith was treating him he developed post-seizure hyper-aggression and attacked her. She is rescued by her colleagues but the damage is severe. Meredith was temporarily unable to hear due to barotrauma; her leg and arm were broken; her elbow was dislocated; and because her jaw was broken, it had to be wired shut so she couldn’t speak.

30. The hospital was set on fire by a patient.

31. She starts dating cardiothoracic surgeon, Nathan, but they break up when he reunites with his ex, Megan.

32. She starts dating general surgery attending, Andrew DeLuca, they broke up, but then later he was stabbed and died.

33. She gets fired by Bailey for committing insurance fraud.

Meredith wrote down her daughter’s insurance information to help a young girl with cancer whose family couldn’t afford insurance. When Meredith’s dodgy dealings were exposed, Bailey fired her but eventually rehired her.

34. She goes to jail for failing to appear in court because she was at the bedside of her daughter, Zola, who was in surgery.

35. Her last original friend, Alex, leaves Seattle to go live in Kansas with Izzy.

36. She contracts coronavirus, almost dies and starts seeing all her dead loved ones.

Meredith was in a coma for a while and in her dreams, she caught up with Lexie, Mark, George and Derek, which was nice but also a devastating reminder of everything she’s lost.

This damn show. Meredith deserved so much better.