Grey's Anatomy is a truly iconic TV show, and it's just begun its whopping 23rd season on ABC (and streaming with a Hulu subscription). The premiere was the first episode since the departure of Kevin McKidd and Kim Raver, but luckily Ellen Pompeo returned as Meredith to kick things off. I'm glad we got to see the beloved title character, but I'm bummed the episode didn't answer a big question. Namely, what's going on with Mer and Nick's engagement?
The Season 22 finale of Grey's saw Meredith propose to Scott Speedman's Nick, which he happily accepted. Unfortunately, there was no acknowledgement of this in the Season 23 premiere, and she wasn't shown wearing an engagement ring or anything. As such, I was left wondering if they were still betrothed, or even maybe they'd even tied the knot during the months-long time jump.
While I didn't need a new iconic Grey's Anatomy Shondalogue about Meredith's engagement, I expected there to at least be a passing line about it. The premiere episode didn't offer any answers, but showrunner/producer Meg Marinis spoke to Deadline and offered some much-needed answers. When asked if Meredith and Nick are still engaged she said:
Well, the engagement is still on. Meredith Grey has never really worn a ring, even when she was with Derek. So she’s not necessarily a ring wearer, but that’s not to say that once they get married they may have wedding bands. We’ll pick up that story though, don’t worry.
What a relief. While there are still some wild cliffhangers happening on Grey's like Simone's surprise pregnancy, fans can rest easy knowing that Meredith and Nick are still engaged to be married. Pompeo's signature character has never been one for pomp and circumstance, which is why we shouldn't expect her to be wearing a ring in future episodes of the medical drama. Considering that she and Derek got married on a Post-it, this is very much on brand.
Since Patrick Dempsey's Derek died back in Season 11, Meredith has had a few love interests. Her relationship with Nick is the one that fans have responded to the most, and we were happy to finally see her happy after all these years. Luckily they're still engaged, even if the Season 23 premiere didn't address it at all.
This has me wondering if the other Grey's characters know about the engagement. I would love to see Amelia's reaction, especially since McDreamy was her brother. I'm also curious to what Richard Webber thinks since she's Meredith's biggest father figure. Hopefully we get more information in future episodes, as well as the return of Speedman as Nick.
Grey's Anatomy airs new episodes on Thursdays as part of the 2026 TV schedule. Fingers crossed that Meredith's engagement is addressed sooner rather than later.
