★ More PaleyFest interviews! During the Grey’s Anatomy panel, Justin was asked who Alex should be with: Jo or Meredith. TV Guide posted an article with a summary of Justin’s answer.

It’s the question that’s been haunting Grey’s Anatomy fans for all of Season 13: Should Alex (Justin Chambers) be with Jo (Camilla Luddington) or Meredith (Ellen Pompeo)?

On one hand, Jo is the woman that Alex is currently in love with and the person he wanted to spend the rest of his life with before he beat up DeLuca (Giacomo Gianniotti) and put their relationship on ice. On the other hand, Meredith is his oldest and closest friend. The two OG surgeons have been through thick and thin together and have grown extremely close since Cristina (Sandra Oh) left.

It’s ultimately up to the writers as to who Alex will eventually find happiness with, but Chambers weighed in on the matter Sunday during the Grey’s Anatomy panel at PaleyFest, an annual festival celebrating television.

“I think anything is possible, especially on Grey’s, you know what I mean?,” Chambers said after he was asked by moderator Henry Goldblatt of Entertainment Weekly which woman Alex should be with. “He might end up with Catherine [Avery]. I’d like to see Alex flesh out his relationship with Jo.”

Even though Chambers wants Alex to work it out with his current love, even he can’t deny there’s potential for Alex and Meredith to become more than just being each others’ person.

“People who have been friends for one another can become lovers. You never know,” he concluded.

Fans who have been clamoring for the original cast members to explore a romantic relationship should be happy that resurrection from the dead isn’t possible on Grey’s, though. Later in the panel Chambers was asked by a fan which deceased characters he would like to be able to bring back from the dead. His answer: McDreamy (Patrick Dempsey) and McSteamy (Eric Dane). If raising the dead were possible, it would probably make it impossible for Alex and Meredith to end up together.

 
★ Justin was also asked on the red carpet by Entertainment Tonight about a potential Alex and Meredith romance and he talked about being excited to see what happens with Jo and Alex. Check out what he had to say in the article below and then watch the short video clip.

Could Alex Karev and Meredith Grey become romantically involved on Grey’s Anatomy?

ET caught up with Grey’s star Justin Chambers, who has played Alex since the series debuted in 2005, at PaleyFest in Los Angeles on Sunday, where he revealed where he stands on Meredith (Ellen Pompeo) and Alex’s romantic outlook.

“I think anything is possible,” Chambers told ET, referring to their ship name, “Merlex.” “I think friends can become lovers like that, that’s possible too.”

Chambers explained why he was OK with where Alex and Meredith currently stand and further elaborated on his preference for them to remain in the friend zone.

“I’m very comfortable with them being platonic — like brother and sister, and friends. I think that suits them better,” the 45-year-old actor said, leaving the door slightly ajar if a romance were to spark up. “But hey, who knows? Nobody knows how things go, you know? I was friends with my wife before we started dating.”

“They have been friends a long time though,” Chambers continued. “Alex and [Meredith] have come up together and I don’t know, [it’d be] a little weird, but anything is possible.”

Complicating matters is Alex’s complex relationship with his ex, Jo Wilson (Camilla Luddington), with whom he’s been on the outs since beating up Andrew DeLuca (Giancarlo Giannotti) and nearly finding himself behind bars.

“I’m excited to see what happens with him and ‘Jolex,’” Chambers said of their unclear future. “I think they really love each other. I know they have a lot of obstacles to go through but it will be interesting to see what conflicts, fires they can put out.”

“Merlex and then Jolex, we’ll see what happens,” he teased.

 
★ In this red carpet interview with Access Hollywood, Justin talks about knowing Ellen Pompeo for 25 years and feeling very comfortable working and being around her. He also shares his hopes for Jo and Alex.

E! News posted more of the Grey’s Anatomy on set interviews with Justin and Ellen Pompeo. Check out the video below where they share their thoughts on the possibility of Alex and Meredith’s relationship becoming romantic.

Finally, the stars themselves, Ellen Pompeo and Justin Chambers, are revealing their thoughts on the prospect of their characters getting together. Spoiler alert: They aren’t feeling the love.

“Justin is one of my favorite people on the planet,” Pompeo told E! News direct from the Grey’s Anatomy set. “We’re really close, and it does feel weird. To potentially maybe have him as a love interest would be like kissing my brother. I used to say that about Patrick [Dempsey] all the time too because just we’d been together for so long.”

From the sound of things, the actress just might be perfectly fine with Meredith not finding romance with anyone else ever again. “The love interest part is not my favorite piece of this, I’ll be honest,”she added. “Kissing guys that aren’t your husband is, you know, a little weird. I guess it wouldn’t be if you didn’t like your husband, but I happen to be very, very fond of mine.”

Chambers echoed his old friend’s thoughts on a possible MerLex union, but admitted that, with Shonda Rhimes as his boss, he never rules anything out. “I think anything is possible, but personally I find it to be weird,” he told us. “I think that they’re very much like siblings. They’ve been through so much together. Personally, I don’t see it. But, hey, this is Grey’s Anatomy. Anything is possible.”

★ ABC announced that Grey’s Anatomy has been picked up for season 14. Congrats to the Grey’s cast & crew! 🙌🎉 Scandal and How To Get Away With Murder were also renewed, which means the TGIT lineup will be back for the 2017/2018 TV season.

★ Here are two more interviews Justin gave to The Hollywood Reporter and Variety where he talks about the events of last week’s episode, Alex’s redemption and his relationship with Jo.

Karev is back! But don’t get too excited…

After many episodes of will-he-or-won’t-he go to jail, Alex Karev (Justin Chambers) returned to Grey Sloan Memorial.

Last week, Alex had accepted a plea deal that would have sent him to jail for a couple of years for beating up DeLuca (Giacomo Gianniotti), but turns out, DeLuca dropped the charges, meaning Alex is now a free man.

“I believe it’s because DeLuca has feelings for Jo, or possible feelings. It seems sort of heroic and a self-sacrificing thing to do,” Chambers tells Variety, explaining that DeLuca dropped the charges to impress Jo (Camilla Luddington). “Or maybe he doesn’t want to cause problems at work — that sort of has a ripple effect, if you affect the doctors around you.”

During the episode, Alex confronted DeLuca to thank him, but DeLuca wants nothing to do with him.

Now that he won’t be behind bars, Alex’s first move was to meet with Bailey (Chandra Wilson) to get his job back. And he was successful.

However, with Alex back in the hospital, another doctor was booted: Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo)!

Mer stood up to Bailey, expressing her feelings against Dr. Eliza Minnick (Marika Dominczyk) who’s been trying to oust Webber (James Pickens Jr.) out of his job, sending the hospital into a divide. Mer’s conversation with Bailey didn’t go over well, so the chief suspended her from work.

Here, Justin Chambers talks to Variety about Alex’s return to work, Meredith’s suspension, and whether or not a love triangle may arise between him, DeLuca, and Jo…

Alex apologizes to DeLuca, but he doesn’t want to talk to him. How will their relationship evolve from here?
I think it will be awkward, but I think the only way they can mend it is through their work and maybe Alex can help guide him as a young doctor and resident. I think he thinks they’re okay again, but I believe that DeLuca is still giving him the cold shoulder. You’ll see what happens.

Will DeLuca become a threat to Karev when it comes to Jo?
Yeah. Definitely. Who’s to say that she didn’t fall for DeLuca’s chivalry? Anything’s possible.

Might there be a love triangle?
There might be a love triangle. There might not be. You’ll have to stay tuned.

Taking DeLuca out of the question, where does Alex and Jo’s relationship go from here?
It definitely seems burnt, but the show is a lot about redemption and we all make mistakes. Her lying about her identity for the last five years is pretty hardcore. But Alex has messed up a lot in his life and he’s always had chances to correct himself and I think he can parlay that into their relationship. I still think there’s more for them.

Will we ever meet Jo’s husband?
I don’t know. That’s a good question. It’s a possibility. We haven’t explored that yet, but I think they’ll drop a little hint that maybe he might come around. I do know that Alex is pushing more to find out who this guy is. I don’t want to give it away, but there might be stuff coming in the future. I think the audience is interested in finding out who he is.

How would Alex behave himself with Jo’s abusive husband, especially given his history with violence?
He’d of course want to defend himself, but I don’t think Alex is in a position where he’d want to fight again — he’s gotten in a lot of trouble for this lately.

Alex got his job back, but will people at the hospital think differently of Alex after his fight and near-jail sentence?
It feels like everyone is being the same. But they definitely get a little snarky about what he’s done — working in the clinic was sort of a step down for him, and I think they like to remind him of that.

Meredith is suspended! That’s gotta be hard for Alex to come back to work without his partner in crime. How will that impact him?
He’s definitely going to be supportive for her, like she was for him. He was there a lot for her last season. They’re definitely like two peas in a pod — they’re like siblings. I think he agrees with her about Minnick and we’ll see what happens.

Alex Karev (Justin Chambers) is off the proverbial hook on ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy.

Thursday’s episode revealed that Andrew DeLuca (Giacomo Gianniotti) effectively dropped the charges against Alex by tanking what was sure to be a slam-dunk conviction following the duo’s brutal fight.

The move freed Alex from what likely would have been the rest of his life behind bars and will instead send him back to Grey Sloan Memorial, though it’s unclear if that will mean a romantic reunion with Jo (Camilla Luddington). While Jo remains married to her yet-to-be-introduced abusive husband, Alex seems to have turned over a new leaf, having thanked DeLuca for his forgiveness. (Although DeLuca is still pretty wound up about Alex never really apologizing in the time between Jo’s reveal and the brutal beating.)

While DeLuca’s motives are not completely clear — he reminded Alex that he’s a good guy — the character has been spending a lot of time with Jo and, in typical Shondaland fashion, a love triangle wouldn’t be a stretch.

“If anything, Alex is going to start questioning why DeLuca would let him off the hook,” Chambers tells The Hollywood Reporter. “Maybe he has feelings for Jo, or maybe he doesn’t want to cause any more problems at work because he’s a young doctor who has his whole future ahead of him at the hospital. It’s really interesting, we’ll see what happens in the future — if there’s a love triangle and where they go from here.”

While this marks Alex’s latest shot at redemption on the veteran Shonda Rhimes medical drama, Chambers hopes his character can rise to the occasion and maybe even learn from his former foe.

“Will Alex be able to work with DeLuca as a doctor and teach him? It sounds like, if anything, Alex is learning from DeLuca about redemption,” notes Chambers. “If anyone on this show knows something about being forgiven more than once, it’s Alex. So I think he’ll help apply that to his feelings for Jo because he’s hurt and angry about her lying about her past. But at the same time, he has a lot of empathy for her because he grew up in a broken home with abuse and he can realize why she was scared and doesn’t want to be in that situation and why she would change her identity.”

As for Alex and Jo’s romantic future, that remains a question mark. At the end of Thursday’s episode, Jo comes to visit Alex and the former couple share a tender hug before parting ways — without exchanging a single word.

“This is Alex’s shot at redemption. I hope there’s hope for them!” says Chambers. “That hug is poetic and very telling of where their relationship is right now. Or maybe it was a goodbye hug, I don’t know! (Laughing.) It was ambiguous in a way but at the same time, it was very poetic. What do you say when you’ve gone through so many things but your bodies and hearts still love each other, but you can’t intellectualize why you should stay together if it’s not a healthy relationship? I’d like to see them happy again; they both deserve it.”

As for what comes next, expect Alex to return to the hospital with a renewed focus on how good he has it at Grey Sloan.

“Working in the Denny Duquette Clinic was a lesson for him and I don’t think he wants to go back to that and he certainly doesn’t want to go to jail,” says Chambers. “So he’s going to stay out of trouble and really concentrate on being a good doctor and on his relationship with Jo — if they can come back from that. That’s the big question. Hopefully they will.”

Ahead of tonight’s episode of Grey’s Anatomy, more interviews with Justin are being posted. Check out what he had to say to Variety and Entertainment Weekly about Alex’s fate and what to expect now that he is back.
 

Last week’s “Grey’s Anatomy” revealed the fate of Alex Karev (Justin Chambers).

After numerous episodes this season dealt with the aftermath of Karev beating up DeLuca (Giacomo Gianniotti), Alex had decided to accept a plea deal, which would put him behind bars. However, he had gone missing and no one knew what he was up to — until last week when suddenly, he surprised Meredith at home.

The episode last week cut with Karev’s surprise return home, begging the question, how did he get out of jail time? Tonight’s ep will reveal all of those details. But first, Variety chatted with Justin Chambers about what to expect now that Alex is back.

“I think having everything taken from him — I think he learned a lot there, but I think he appreciates being in peace and he’s very good at what he does and he thrives there,” Chambers explains of how the experience will change Alex.

As for Jo (Camilla Luddington), their relationship will require a lot of work to get back on track. “He was going to take a plea deal to protect his girl. They’re not together right now, but we’ll see where that goes,” Chambers says. “He’s still angry with her, but if anyone knows anything about second chances, it’s Alex. So he has that to think about. She messed up, but there must be a piece of him that still feels for her. Love just doesn’t die like that.”

Whatever happens, Chambers has a personal wish for his character: “I just hope Alex finds some happiness. Crap. He just never seems to catch a break. I’m thinking soon there might be some stability,” he teases.

However, in real life, Chambers is ecstatic to be experiencing 13 seasons of stability…

“It’s a blessing. It’s crazy. It’s so awesome,” the original cast member says of “Grey’s Anatomy’s” flourishing in its 13th season. “With a laugh, he adds, “Even ‘ER,’ I think their ratings dropped a lot in their 13th year.”

Well, we’ve had a whole week to think about it — just how did Alex Karev end up in Meredith’s bed and not a jail cell?

That’s what everyone was wondering at the end of last week’s Grey’s Anatomy, and Thursday’s episode will reveal just how Alex avoided going to jail. Perhaps not surprisingly, it’s an outcome Grey’s star Justin Chambers, who plays Dr. Karev, was happy about.

“I thought it was great – I’m happy he’s not in jail! That’s a different show, you know, if he’s in jail,” Chambers told EW of his reaction when learning Alex’s fate. “You’re gonna find out in this next episode how he got off, but I’m happy he’s going back to the hospital, and he’s gonna be back working in [pediatrics] where he belongs, and curing young people.”

However Karev lands that get-out-of-jail card, it clears the path for him to return to work at Grey Sloan, which means he’ll be interacting with both Jo and DeLuca. Asked if this paves the way for him and Jo to reconcile, Chambers replied, “I hope so, I really do. They’ve been through so much over the past, they both have a similar background, and they both have a lot that they connect about. But this was a big deal for him to find out she’s not who he thought she was, and how do you come back from that? And from what happened, this whole situation with him beating up DeLuca, the misunderstandings and why she lied, it’s gonna be interesting to see how they can fix this and we’ll find out over the next few episodes.”

This week’s episode, titled “None of Your Business,” also finds Bailey continuing to deal with the fallout from the attendings’ resistance to working with Dr. Minnick and Edwards still in the middle of Owen and Amelia’s personal drama. Plus, Maggie (Kelly McCreary) gets a surprise visit at the hospital from her mother, played by guest star LaTanya Richardson Jackson.

“Kelly does some great work — [she and LaTanya] together are just awesome to watch,” Chambers said. “It’s a really good episode, I’m proud of it. Everyone across the board — I’m really excited to work with these actors and watch what they do.”

In a new interview with TV Line, Justin talks about the resolution of Alex’s trial/plea deal story, and Alex’s relationships with Jo and Meredith.

Alex Karev is a free man, but how exactly did the hot-tempered doc dodge that multi-year stint in the pokey? This Thursday’s Grey’s Anatomy (ABC, 8/7c) wastes no time answering that burning question, according to portrayer Justin Chambers.

“It happens really quickly — within the first 10 minutes,” he tells TVLine, before confirming that the reveal comes courtesy of a flashback that may or may not involve his victim (i.e. Andrew). And even though he may not be headed to prison, Alex is not walking away from the experience unscathed. “He feels really bad about” pummeling Andrew, Chambers says. “He apologizes. We’ll see if he’s receptive to it.”

What the episode won’t provide, per Chambers, is a resolution to how Alex’s newfound freedom will impact his fractured relationship with Jo. “We’re steering clear of each other,” he shares. “But I think he has a lot of empathy for her, coming from an abusive relationship [with her MIA husband]. We all know that Alex grew up in a home like that. That opens his eyes to the possibility of forgiving her for not telling him the truth about who she is for so many years. She’s not the person he thought she was.”

And just because Alex and Jo are on the outs, don’t look for him to start kicking the tires of a possible romance with BFF Meredith. Although Chambers says “anything is possible,” he prefers to think of them “as siblings that care very much for each other.

“But that happens in life, where people who are friends become lovers,” he continues. “Personally, I don’t see that [happening] right now. I think it would be kind of strange.”

Last April, Ellen Pompeo similarly told TVLine that Alex and Meredith make better siblings than sweethearts. “I think they’re too close… too much like brother and sister,” she said at the time. “I have super-close friends who I’m not romantically attracted to at all. So I think just because you’re so in love with someone in one way doesn’t mean it’s a romantic love. But they certainly do understand each other a lot.”

★ Justin’s Grey’s Anatomy co-star, Jessica Capshaw, was recently on BUILD Series and she spoke about working with Justin and his generosity as an actor. 💜
Check out what she had to say below (full interview can be watched HERE)

 
★ Another one of Justin’s co-stars, Camilla Luddington, attended ABC’s party at the Television Critics Association (TCA) Press Tour a couple of weeks ago. She spoke with Entertainment Tonight and mentions Justin, the increasing difficulty of hiding her pregnancy during filming and Jo & Alex, among other things.

The autoplay video and the full article can be seen at ET Online, but this is what Camilla had to say about the aforementioned topics:

But don’t expect Luddington’s pregnancy to be written into the show. As the actress revealed, it’s become increasingly difficult for the producers to find unique ways to hide her growing baby bump.

“I’m already in trouble,” she admitted. “I think they’re getting to the point where they might have to green screen/CGI it out actually, which they really do! Any time Justin [Chambers] hugs me, he’s like, ‘I can feel the bump!’”

As for the future of Jo and Alex, Luddington hopes they can resolve their issues and get back together.

“I am Team Jolex, but they’re just so messy,” she said, referencing the fall finale when Alex seemingly decided to turn himself in. “And with the midseason finale, it was really difficult to film. I’m really rooting for them. I know he’s doing this for her. It’s a dramatic return.”

 
★ TV Guide also interviewed Camilla at the TCA press tour and she talked about Alex and Jo in the last November’s Grey’s Anatomy midseason finale and whether her pregnancy will be written into the show. Check it out in the video below:

 
★ In another interview with Yahoo! Style, Camilla talks about the next three episodes of Grey’s and to expect more “traumatic storylines and drama” between Alex and Jo.

But regarding art, not life, what about fans’ burning question: Will Jo ever find love, or some version thereof? Or will she continue to sabotage herself?

“What I can tell you is the next three episodes take place right after the season finale. It’s the 72 hours after everything happens,” she explains. “Jo is in a complicated place with Alex [Chambers]. But I think she still is madly, completely in love with him. Her reaction to the drama that is happening with him means that she is destroyed by it.”

But the show’s actors don’t get their scripts until Monday, the day of the table read. So often what you see on camera is their authentic reactions to some of the show’s most emotionally insane cuts and bruises.

“What that means is, we’re all discovering the storylines at the same time,” Luddington says. “It makes for the most emotional table reads. It’s almost like we’re the audience, just with no wine. People are gasping and crying.” But initially, she says, “What you’re going to see is not some great reconciliation [between Jo and Alex]. Just more traumatic storylines and drama between them.”

 
★ Tomorrow night is the midseason premiere of Grey’s Anatomy and though Justin will not be in it (😞), I’ll leave links to sneak peeks and previews. 😉

Sneak peek #1, Sneak peek #2

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★ Voting for the People’s Choice Awards end this Thursday, Dec. 15 and Justin is up for the Favorite Dramatic TV Actor award. You can vote an unlimited amount of times, so keep voting here ➨ FAVORITE DRAMATIC TV ACTOR 😊

 
★ Grey’s Anatomy creator, Shonda Rhimes, and ABC Entertaiment President, Channing Dungey made it into The Hollywood Reporter‘s 2016 Women in Entertainment Power 100 list. There’s a short article where they mention the first time they met back in August 2004 during the casting session for the role of Alex Karev, which Justin obviously got. Read about it below.

“The beginning of any show, … it’s terrifying,” says Rhimes of her early days working with the network’s Channing Dungey. “I remember, for my producing partner Betsy Beers and me, it was such a relief whenever Channing was around. She just got it. And she always told us the truth.”

Dungey remembers the exact moment she met Rhimes. It was her second day on the job at ABC Studios (then Touchstone Television). “Aug. 9, 2004,” recalls Dungey with certainty. “We were at the casting session for the Alex Karev role on Grey’s Anatomy because the character hadn’t been in the original pilot.”

The part went to Justin Chambers, and he’s still playing it 12 years later. But that’s about all that has remained the same for these two. Dungey became an instant favorite in the drama department, ultimately moving over to the network and, as of February, running ABC Entertainment. And Rhimes has become one of the most prolific, successful and public showrunners in television history. More than a decade after the launch of Grey’s, it’s still the No. 1 drama on ABC, which now has a whopping five series — Scandal and How to Get Away With Murder, among them — produced by Rhimes’ Shondaland.

 
★ It’s December which means the usual year-end lists and reviews are being posted. TV Line posted its list of the TV Characters Who Had an Awful 2016, and Alex Karev is on it. See why they chose him below and here’s hoping 2017 is better for him. 😬