‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Season 21 Just Cast a New Gay Chaplain

The Big Picture

Grey’s Anatomy
is replacing Jake Borelli’s character with a new gay chaplain named James, portrayed by Michael Thomas Grant.
James is Grey Sloan’s openly gay Episcopal chaplain who has a warm, spiritual presence and a special connection with younger patients.
In Season 21, viewers can expect to see James navigate his personal life at a crossroads, open to love and taking big leaps of faith.

Following Jake Borelli‘s impending exit from Grey’s Anatomy in the upcoming season, the show has been seeking to replace Borelli’s gay character with another. It was reported earlier that the new character would be a chaplain. TV Line reports that Michael Thomas Grant is Grey Sloan’s new gay chaplain. He will recur in Season 21 as James. According to ABC’s official character description, James “joins Grey Sloan as [its] openly gay Episcopal chaplain. He holds a special place in his heart for his younger patients, and his warmth, training, and spirituality make him comfortable and confident in any situation. In his personal life, James finds himself at a crossroads where he is open to love and taking great leaps of faith.”

Borelli has been on Grey’s Anatomy for seven seasons, joining in Season 14 as Levi Schmitt. Originally cast as a guest star, Borelli was upgraded to series regular for Season 15. Schmitt later began a romantic relationship with Dr. Nico Kim (Alex Landi). The relationship was the most significant relationship between two men to be featured on the show and was well-received by fans. Landi exited the series, leaving Borelli’s character as the sole gay male character. The new addition aims to keep the long-running series diverse and representative of the LGBTQIA community. Borelli will return for a few episodes in Season 21 to wrap up his character’s arc before exiting permanently.

Thomas Grant is best known for playing Leif in NBC’s Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist. Leif is Zoey’s (Jane Levy) coworker, and she later learns he has a crush on her. NBC canceled the series after two seasons, but a film was later picked up to wrap up the story. Thomas Grant’s other TV roles include shows like Roadies and The Rookie: Feds.

‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Will Feature Several Changes In Season 21

Close-up of Ellen Pompeo as Meredith Grey on the poster for Grey's Anatomy Season 20. — Image via ABC

The series will feature several cast changes besides Borelli’s exit and Thomas Grant’s debut. Midori Francis, who joined the show in Season 19 as an intern in the new batch of interns, will not return as series regular for Season 21. Like Borelli, she will guest star for a few episodes to wrap up her character’s arc. Meanwhile, Jason George is set to return to Grey’s Anatomy following the conclusion of Station 19, the spin-off series he starred in for seven seasons. Ellen Pompeo’s time on the show will also increase as she picks up more series regular duties following her decision to step back in Season 19. Grey’s Anatomy settles into a new time slot on Thursdays.

Catch the Season 21 premiere on Thursday, September 26, at 10 p.m. ET, following the 9-1-1 Season 8 premiere at 8 pm and the Doctor Odyssey series premiere at 9 p.m. ET.