Jake Borelli is finally back on Grey’s Anatomy as Levi after his surprising exit – and he’s just in time to help with Jo and Link’s wedding day.
In Us Weekly’s exclusive clip from the Thursday, May 8, episode of the hit ABC series, Borelli’s character appears the morning of Jo (Camilla Luddington) and Link’s (Chris Carmack) big day.
“What happened to your face?” he asks Jo, to which she replies, “Link’s mom is doing my makeup.”
Levi can’t help but make light of the situation – before getting distracted.
Grey’s Anatomy’s Biggest Exits Over the Years
“Does she hate you?” he quips before getting a text. “Aww. Ann Richards got a bath. [She’s the] labradoodle James and I adopted. I told you about this like four weeks ago. She was named after the former governor of Texas. Because she is Ann Richards: outspoken, wry, feminist.”
Jo interrupts Levi to ask him for help, adding, “I look like 1983 Boy George.” In response, Levi promises to assist with handling Link’s mother because he is “great with moms.” That is when Link’s mom appears with a special surprise for Jo.
“I almost forgot. I brought you something, Jo,” Link’s mom says as she shows off a veil that neither Levi nor Jo seemed thrilled by. “I wore this at my wedding and my mom wore it at hers, and now it is your turn.”
According to the official synopsis, Thursday’s episode follows Jo and Link’s wedding day, which brings some visitors. Meanwhile, “Teddy and Owen are met with a familiar face seeking treatment, and Lucas disagrees with Simone on how to approach a patient’s worsened condition.”
Borelli’s onscreen return comes less than one season after his exit. The actor was featured on eight seasons of Grey’s Anatomy before Levi left with boyfriend James (Michael Thomas Grant). In a September 2024 episode, Levi accepted a pediatric research position in Texas to help his chances at securing a surgical fellowship in the department.
Jessica Capshaw’s Season 20 Return Is the Latest ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Comeback
“All the way up to the end, I was in Meg [Marinis]’s office with her, typing on the computer with her, trying to figure out, ‘What is the best way to end this? What are the conversations he should be having with Jo? What is important in this gay relationship? How does this relationship differ from Nico?'” Borelli recalled to Variety in November 2024 while discussing Levi’s ex-boyfriend, played by Alex Landi. “We really focused on [Levi and James] having a very good, easy communication style, which led to them navigating this big choice of whether or not they should move across the country together. So there was a lot of input, and I’m really grateful for that.”
Back then, Borelli also remembered the choice to have Levi make his appearance in a 2018 episode, reflecting Borelli’s personal experiences with coming out outside of the screen.
“I felt very apprehensive. When Krista [Vernoff, the then-showrunner] told me her intention was to have Levi come out, I nearly declined,” Borelli mentioned. “At this point, I’d been with the series for a year, portraying him as non-queer. I considered refusing because I realized he would become the first prominent gay male character on the show, which could significantly impact its trajectory.”
Grey’s Anatomy broadcasts on ABC every Thursday at 10 p.m. Eastern Time and can be streamed on Hulu.