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Violence isn't your birthright or your inheritance. It's something you survived because you are the opposite of that. You have an enormous will, an enormous heart, an enormous capacity for survival. You've taken all this darkness and used it to help other people who are walking through the same. You lined that hallway with women to help that woman who was hurting badly just hurt a little bit less. You've taken your darkest experiences that life gave you, and you turned it around and turned it into light. And if the woman who gave birth to you doesn't want to see that, then that's on her.
Meredith Grey to Jo

Jo Wilson, formerly Brooke Stadler and Jo Karev, is an obstetrics and gynecology resident at Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital. She was previously an attending general surgeon before switching specialties. Following her estranged husband's death, she married Alex Karev until he left her for his ex-wife, Izzie. She is the mother of Luna Wilson. She is currently in a relationship with Atticus Lincoln and is pregnant with his child.

Quick Answers

What specialty did Jo Wilson switch to from general surgery in Grey's Anatomy? toggle section
Jo switched from general surgery to OB/GYN during the pandemic after attending a delivery.
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Who did Jo Wilson marry after her estranged husband's death in Grey's Anatomy? toggle section
Jo Wilson married Alex Karev, but he eventually left her to live with Izzie and their kids.
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What is the name of Jo Wilson's child in Grey's Anatomy? toggle section
Jo's daughter is named Luna Wilson.
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Who is Jo Wilson currently in a relationship with in Grey's Anatomy? toggle section
Jo is currently dating Atticus "Link" Lincoln.
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What is the backstory of Jo Wilson's early life in Grey's Anatomy? toggle section
Jo was left at a fire station by her birth mother when she was five days old. She spent time in a number of foster homes until she was sixteen, at which point, she started living out of her car.
Provided by: Community

History[]

Early Life[]

At only five days old, Jo Wilson was left by her mother at a fire station. She was shuffled among numerous foster homes until age 16 when she began living independently out of her car. Her teacher, Ms. Schmidt, would let her into the school building early to use the school showers and to do laundry. Jo worked furiously to get through school, graduating as high school valedictorian and moving on to Princeton University, where she graduated cum laude. Wilson then attended Harvard Medical School, where she graduated at the top of her class. Wilson confessed to Alex Karev that Ms. Schmidt was the only person who supported her and thus the only one at her graduation.

Getting Married[]

During a conversation with Andrew DeLuca, Jo revealed that she is married. She said, "when I bought something wrong, he'd hit me in my face, or my stomach..." Being done with his abusive behavior, Jo fled to somewhere he'd never find her: Seattle. She claimed that if she tried to divorce him, he would find her. Jo kept her past confidential until after Alex proposed when she drunkenly confesses to Andrew that, that was the reason. She also admitted that 'Jo Wilson' isn't her real name. Her real name was 'Brooke Stadler'.[3]

Becoming an Intern[]

Jo started her internship at Seattle Grace Mercy West Hospital shortly after the plane crash. She quickly learned, along with the other interns, to fear Meredith Grey, dubbing her Medusa. Meredith was put in charge of choosing an intern for the intern appy and she chose Jo. As the other interns gathered in the gallery and unknowingly insulted Meredith with the intercom on, Jo started the surgery under Meredith's supervision. Jo successfully took out the appendix but ripped the cecum afterward. As Meredith pressed her to think and act, Jo froze as expected. Meredith had to finish the surgery. After the surgery, Owen found Jo crying in the hallway. He told her to cry elsewhere and informed her that the intern appy is designed for the intern to fail to set an example for the others. Jo then asked him why Meredith was so mean, bringing up the plane crash she had heard about. Owen told her that Meredith wasn't mean but strong and that she was so hard on Jo in order to teach her the way she deserved to be taught.[4]

When she wanted to scrub in on a surgery, she flirted with Callie to try to make it happen. However, Callie pointed out that Jo looked terrified that Callie might take her up on that offer, meaning she probably isn't into ladies. Callie told her not to trade sex for scrubbing in because that's skanky, to save it for actually getting to cut. Then she sent her to go suck up to Alex instead. He said no and when he saw her watching from the gallery, he sent her away. Later, when he scolded her for charting when she hadn't scheduled a consult for him, she began to cry, freaking him out. He invited her to scrub in on a surgery with him.[5]

After dealing with the case of Kimmy's son, Jo revealed to Alex what her childhood had been like.[6]

When given an opportunity to do something none of the other interns had done yet, Jo jumped at the chance. However, when she froze in the OR, she went to Arizona Robbins and told her what had happened, saying she believed Alex set her up to fail. Alex later came to her and told her that he was trying to let her do something cool, but she freaked out. She said she was paranoid because her life has taught her that she can't trust anyone, but he informed her that she needs to get over it.[7]

At Bailey's wedding, she had a drink, so when the doctors were called back to the hospital after a motorcycle crash, she was unable to go with them. Instead, she continued to drink with Alex. They got drunk and broke into a hotel room, where they raided a mini-bar.[8]

When she heard about the plan to sell the hospital for parts, she admitted to Alex that she was sad and didn't want not to see him anymore, because she liked that he would talk to kids about pulling tiny little men out of their bellies.[9]

Relationship with Jason[]

Jo and the other interns started referring to Jason as "Chest Peckwell." Alex took an immediate distaste to him, even going so far as to gang up with a patient and Dr. Webber to prank him, to which Jason responded with a snide comment about "nailing Jo in the bathroom."[10]

When she told Alex Karev that she was planning to move in with Jason, he was initially very angry with her. However, after working with Jason on a case, he told Jason that he was just protective of Jo because he had been in a similar situation to Jo as a child, though he never had it quite as bad as she did. He was unaware that Jo had not told Jason any of this. When Jo found out that Jason knew, she became angry with Alex for telling him.[11]

After a heated fight which involved Jason hitting Jo, she fled to Alex's house. He settled her into his bed. When Alex showed up at the hospital with Jason, who had been severely beaten, Meredith and Cristina assumed that Alex had done it, but it turned out that Jo herself had done it. When he grabbed her arm, she fought him off and he fell back and hit his head on the fireplace. She claimed he was fine when she left and still yelling.[12]

During the superstorm, Jo helped to bag the babies in the NICU and then later to teach the parents how to bag their own babies. Arizona told Alex that Jo was great that day and if he's going to take credit for making his ladies crazy, he should take credit for helping make them great. Alex found Jo later and confessed his love. They shared a kiss.[13]

Getting Together with Alex[]

10x04-29

Jo and Alex at the gala

After their first kiss, Alex and Jo went to an on-call room to make out. Alex wanted to wait to do it at his house, but Jo reminded him that there was a tree in his house and removed her scrub top. They continued kissing until Jo asked them if he had sex with Heather and Leah in that particular room. He confirmed, but Jo decided she could move past this and they continued kissing. He got paged, and she asked him to ignore the page. This made her think about dead people so they gave up. They went to the ER to help out treating the storm victims, which was impeded by the fact that they were all low on supplies and that the electric charts were still down. Meanwhile, she and the other interns also waited for news on Heather, who was being operated on. In a supply closet, Jo talked to Alex about her fear that Heather would die, only ending up to start kissing him again. However, it turned out Alex also had had sex with other interns in that closet, so Jo decided it wasn't going to happen there and left.[14]

After Heather's death, the mourning interns, who got the night off, decided they would all wait together for Heather's mother to arrive, as none of them wanted to do it on their own. They started looking for kind Heather stories to tell Maura and decided to look for Derek to hear about her talent for neurosurgery, but Meredith told them the mother wouldn't care about that and told them the story that she told George's mother back when he had died. Jo then met Alex in a lounge and told him that she and the others apparently weren't a tight group. They joked a little about the future of their relationship and he gave her a bottle of liquor that would help her and the others to come up with stories. Jo went to her fellow interns in the dressing room, where they started drinking. They realized that they knew nothing about each other, despite all the time they spent together. They decided to play circle of trust, during which Jo revealed to have been a street kid. Not long after, Maura Brooks arrived, and they stole Meredith's story. They then sat with her until Derek arrived to tell her what happened to Heather. Early in the morning, Derek met with the interns in the ER waiting room and thanked them for having stayed with Maura. He told them to go home, but Shane decided to ride out with the firefighters to the mudslide instead. Jo, Stephanie and Leah declared him crazy, but suddenly Stephanie stood up too and gave a speech that made it clear to Leah and Jo that they should stick together. Jo and Leah then got up too, and followed Stephanie and Shane to the ambulance bay to ride out to the mudslide with the firefighters.[15]

After Heather's death, the interns began all sleeping at Alex's house and studying. Jo was waiting for Alex to proposition her so they could have sex and Alex was waiting because he thought she was still grieving, so he said they could stay there as long as they wanted. Jo went to the others and said that they needed to leave. That night, Jo went to Alex's house to wait for him. He came home and she said she was not an unfeeling person, but she wanted to have sex. He picked her up and carried her upstairs.[16]

Fundraising Gala and Alex's Dad[]

At the fundraising gala, Jo spoke to donors on Alex's behalf, but pressured him to talk to them himself. When Alex left to go back to the hospital, Jo was upset. She went back to the hospital and found him drawing blood from himself. She believed he was doing drugs, but he corrected that he believed his father was in the hospital, so he was drawing blood to check. When the results came in, Alex decided he didn't want to know just before Jo told him that it was his father.[17]

When the time came for Alex's father to be discharged, Jo got him set up for 28 days in a rehab facility. He declined and left the hospital.[18]

When Alex didn't come home for several nights, Jo was concerned that he was seeing someone else, but she figured out that it was about Alex's dad.[19]

Jimmy later returned in withdrawal. Jo treated him over Alex's objections.[20] After speaking to Jimmy and telling him that Jimmy leaving when he was a kid was better for all of them, Alex went to the wedding and told Jo that they were all they needed and that they'd be together forever. She agreed, but didn't realize that he meant it as a marriage proposal.[21] When Jimmy's wife came to the hospital after Alex lied to her and said that Jimmy was dead, Alex introduced Jo as his fiancée, confusing her. She confronted him about it, saying she wasn't leaving him, but she wasn't ready for marriage.[22]

Callie's Trial[]

When Callie was sued by Travis Reed for malpractice, which led to the amputation of both of his legs, Jo testified on her behalf as she had scrubbed in on the surgery.[23]

Non-Fraternization Policy[]

Jo was upset to hear about the non-fraternization policy. She said that since they spend so much time at the hospital, they don't have time to meet anyone else. When she found out that one of the residents had filed the claim that led to the policy, she immediately assumed that Stephanie had filed it and was cold toward her. She later went to Stephanie when she found out that April and Jackson were still together. She said that Stephanie filing the claim was ruining her life, but Leah confessed that she filed the claim and explained why she did it.

Jo and Alex staged a fake fight and breakup so that people wouldn't think they were together. They started to sneak around the hospital, but after a rendezvous in a supply room, which Richard discovered, they were called into a meeting with the board. Alex came in and called them hypocrites before leaving.[24]

After Alex was suspended for violating the policy, Meredith began to look into options for them. She got them a love contract and said if they signed it, HR said it was okay if they continued to date. Alex was worried about Jo leaving him if he asked her to sign the contract.[25]

When Alex presented Jo with the contract, she told him she wouldn't sign it. Alex later assured her that the contract wasn't a commitment and that she wouldn't count on him, but said that he wanted to kiss her whenever he wants to kiss her and the contract would allow him to do that.[26]

Richard's Teachings[]

When a case came in of two sisters, one of whom had developed three kinds of cancer in her lifetime, Richard told the residents to do research on Li-Fraumeni, as that's the condition the girl had. They did the research and developed a treatment plan, but Rory Williams had already died.[27]

At Richard's birthday party, Owen asked him to be director of the residency program because he noticed how well he'd been mentoring the residents.[28]

Derek warned that he wasn't teaching enough, took all the residents to work on a case with him that he had rescheduled several times. As the OR wasn't available until 1 AM, he then took them to the ER to work on the incoming patients, including having them work on a patient who was already dead so they could work with real brain tissue. When a man came in with scissors puncturing his forehead, they took him into an OR for a controlled extraction. Jo extracted the scissors after Leah was unable to pull hard enough. Then they went back to the case of Nova Jenkins. Each of the residents took a turn to step up to the microscope and ask a question so they could learn.[29]

While Jo was on scut, she was working on several cases at once. She found that she couldn't handle working on so many cases at once, as it put patients at risk. After a day of that, Jo overheard Owen and Richard talk about one of the residents not being cut out for surgery. Jo believed it was her.[30]

Working with Callie[]

When a patient with tetanus had a spasm that snapped his arm, Jo was concerned that she had broken the patient's bone. She worked on the case with Callie. While working on the case, she discovered that she has a knack for ortho.[31]

Jo was used for testing the emotion-reading machine Callie and Derek had gotten for their trial. She didn't have a positive response to the expected stimuli, but when Callie mentioned an ortho injury that came into the ER, Jo lit up.[32] Jo continued to work with Callie on ortho cases and loved it.[33] She worked with Callie on an ortho case after hearing that one of the residents was about to be fired. In an attempt not to get fired, she continued to suck up to the attendings. Callie noticed this and said that she needed to have grit if she planned to continue working on ortho.[34]

Being Confronted by Paul[]

Years later, Paul was able to find Jo in Seattle and he confronted her.[35] While they talked, he explained to her that he and his fiancee, Jenny, wanted to get married but they couldn't since he and Jo were still married. They later signed the divorce papers.[36]

While Paul was distracted by Arizona, Jo was able to find Jenny and warned her of Paul's abusive tendencies. Jenny said that they were happy and denied any abuse, but Jo gave Jenny her card with her cell number on it in case she needed help. While Jo was in the resident's lounge, Paul came to her and said that Jenny told her what Jo had said and gave Paul Jo's card. He told her that he decided to keep it for himself.[37]

When Paul became the victim of a hit-and-run, Jenny assumed that it was Jo who did it and thanked her for it. Jo later went with Jenny to confront Paul and vowed to tell the police about how he abused her. This angered Paul and he and tried to attack her, but hit his head and caused second-impact syndrome, causing his brain to swell and leaving him brain dead. Since Jo was still legally his wife, she was tasked with making his end-of-life decisions, which she used to donate his organs.[38]

Getting Married to Alex and Fellowship[]

The day after their wedding, Alex and Jo travelled to Los Angeles for their honeymoon. They settled on the beach and Jo brought up an article she had read about killer cancer cells. It felt new to her, while Boston already felt old. As he said he wouldn't mind their kids growing up in Boston, she had a thought and ran off. She went to a beach bar and started writing down ideas on napkins. He came to apologize for talking about kids, but she told him to shut up so she could focus as it was not about the kids thing. She returned to their vacation apartment to work on her idea. When Alex returned from a day of fun around town, she presented him with her idea: introducing suicide genes in cancer cell DNA to design cancer killer cells. She apologized for ruining their honeymoon, but he was just delighted that she agreed to marry him. He fed her some food and commented that their kids would be really smart.[39]

Jo and Alex returned to Seattle early and they presented Meredith with Jo's idea. Meredith hated that she came to wave the future of medicine in her face before leaving for Boston, but Jo said she actually wanted Meredith to create a fellowship for her that would allow her to work on the mini livers and her own projects. Meredith loved the idea and took it to Bailey. Meanwhile, Jo cancelled Boston. However, Meredith came back with bad news: there was no money to fund the fellowship. Jo and Alex then went to Joe's for day drinking. Alex suggested she call Boston back, but she had come to realize she only applied there because she could, but it felt like going backwards. Empowered by the alcohol, Jo and Alex went back to Bailey's office and Jo pitched why she was the future of medicine. Bailey then decided to create the fellowship and fund it with her own money as she was in need of some joy. Afterwards, Jo returned to the bar and bragged to the interns about her new fellowship.[40]

15x03-42

Now going by Dr. Jo Karev, Jo tries to get started on the fellowship.

Jo's first day in navy scrubs coincided with Alex's first day as interim Chief. They enjoyed the Chief parking space and headed in. Jo felt like people were staring at them. She gave Alex a gift to celebrate his promotion and went to work. Bailey had trouble letting go of her job while Jo wanted to get to work on the fellowship. Bailey had Jo operate with her and then headed out to take care of stuff. Jo went to complain to Meredith that she'd rather work with her, but Meredith advised her to just tell Bailey what she needed. Jo later found her in the Chief's office, thinking she was going over the research she had sent her, but Bailey actually discovered that Alex had spent the entire quarter's budget in a day. Jo then left them to talk.[41]

While in bed together and making out, Jo asked Alex for a new INUMAC MRI. He felt like she was taking advantage and left for work. She later set the record straight in a hallway, stating she just wanted orgasms from him, which was overheard by Richard. He later found her to go home together and apologized for calling her a hooker. They then came across Atticus Lincoln, whom Jo enthusiastically greeted and who called her Brooke. Alex stood there confused while the two reconciled.[42]

Jo took care of Alex's voting ballot. She and Link caught up on the years they missed of each other's lives. Jo explained to Richard that she and Link went all the way back to undergrad when they waited tables together, adding that they were like brother and sister, so nothing romantic ever happened. Jo then went to her lab and found that Bailey had written whiteboards full of different approaches to Jo's cancer killer cells idea. Since it was too much for one year, they needed to narrow it down. Both were then called in for a consult by Alex for Nina Sullivan, whom had a mysterious cause of abdominal pain. Jo and Bailey managed to figure it out. Later, Bailey confided in Jo that she had removed all stressors at work from her life, but she was still stressed. While Bailey was thinking that Ben was the cause of it all, Jo assured her that the two of them were good together. She then went by Alex's office. She heard he had worked with Link and he told her he was a great guy. They started to make out in his chair.[43]

Jo assisted Alex at work to make him less grumpy all the time. She then got the idea to set up Link with Meredith, assuring Link that she was worth the effort to get her to open up. When a donor liver for their patient was redirected, Jo and Bailey came up with the idea to revive a liver from a deceased patient using a perfusion system. Alex ordered them to shut it down as to not risk their standing with UNOS. She met up with Link, who had been turned down by Meredith. Jo told him she did that to her, too, but she came around. Bailey then paged her, having decided to go behind Alex's back. They pulled off the transplant successfully. While Alex was angry at first, he admitted to getting turned on by Jo's genius and they made out in his office, closing the blinds when Nurse Frankie saw them. That night, Jo invited Link to the loft so she could properly cut his hair after he had cut off a piece to comfort a cancer patient. Meredith came over, too, needing some company. As she took over from Jo, Jo and Alex agreed that Meredith and Link did look nice together.[44]

Alex and Jo overslept on the day of the massive windstorm. By the time they got up, it was too dangerous to go outside, so they decided to stay in and have a second honeymoon. When the electricity died, she wound up finding Bubbe, a Bunsen burner she had used to cook meat on while she was living in her car. She also found their marriage certificate. Since neither had mailed it in, their marriage wasn't official. They later went through all their wedding presents that April had registered for and found they didn't need any of them, so they agreed to return them and buy a bigger TV with the money they'd get back. They made out and drank beer out of fancy glasses. They enjoyed the married life and agreed to mail in the certificate.[45] As soon as the bridge re-opened, Alex felt pressured as Chief to go to the hospital. She agreed he should go and stayed behind herself.[46]

Jo, Meredith, and Link ended up working on Natashe Deon's case together while Meredith and Link grew more and more frustrated with one another. Jo defended her trying to set them up by explaining to Meredith that Link was the greatest guy she ever met before Alex, like Meredith had been for Alex. She assured her that he was a great guy once you got to know him. During surgery, Meredith questioned how Link could be a doctor despite his laid-back attitude. Jo says his cancer inspired him to become a doctor, but Link shut her down as it was not her story to tell. Natasha had to be put in a medically-induced coma to let her heal while her fiancé sat by her side. Jo went to tell Alex she was glad they were alive and that they got married. Later, she came across Amelia and Tom arguing over a way to visualize Catherine's tumor and showed them to a brand-new type of microscope that would help them.[47]

15x12-10

Jo finds that Meredith is in a love triangle with Link and Andrew.

With the holidays approaching, Jo invited Meredith to her and Alex's navy blue scrubs-only NYE party and suggested she bring Link as a plus one. Instead, Meredith invited Andrew. Jo was upset, but Meredith stated she could handle her own love life. Jo then mocked her for being in a love triangle. Over the course of the holidays, the doctors continued to work on Natasha, whose status kept declining to the point where death was imminent. Alex had an idea to give her her wedding under the stars. He and Jo gathered all the doctors and nurses in Natasha's room and they held up their phones with images of stars on the display while Meredith officiated the wedding.[48]

Jo found out that Meredith had stood up Link on Valentine's Day and vented some anger, but Meredith had already apologized to him by then. When a display with all Chiefs of Surgery from the past and present was installed in the cafeteria, Jo made Alex pose with his picture and sent a picture of him to his mother to show her how far he had come. She assisted Maggie and Meredith whilst operating on Kimberly Thompson. Afterwards, she found that someone had switched Alex's and Bailey's pictures in the cafeteria, so Jo switched them back.[49]

Jo watched Meredith's record-breaking surgery for longest surgery at the hospital for a while until she got paged to the ER when it was flooded with victims of a mass overdose at the park. She took care of a mother who claimed to have lost her playing son in the chaos at the park, but they later found out that she was a junkie herself who had taken her son with her to get a fix. Jo witnessed how Alex pressed the father to protect his son no matter what, even if it meant keeping him away from his mother, and she realized he himself had been through something similar with his father. She brought him hot chocolate in his office to comfort him and he told her about his experience of being left in a parking lot when he was 6.[50]

Finding Her Birth Mother and Depression[]

When Jo was finishing up things at the hospital before leaving for Catherine's party at Jackson's place, she ran into Helen Karev at the hospital and found out that Alex supposedly had "another doctor" tell her to meet him at the party. Jo then offered her a ride and tried to call Alex, but he didn't answer. She found out Helen had travelled to Seattle through public transportation after getting inspired by the Lewis and Clark expedition.

15x15-5

Alex and Jo watch over Helen at the party.

Once they arrived, she started googling symptoms of a psychotic break, thinking the other doctor was in Helen's head, and made Jackson fetch Alex. While Jo and Alex discussed the possibility of Helen having a break, she disappeared amongst the other guests. They found her soon and tried to reach her doctor but were unable to get a hold of him due to the time difference. They decided to watch her for the night and find out more in the morning. Jo and the other guests evacuated when a supposed fire broke out. Outside, Jo stood by as Alex introduced his mother to Meredith, after which they took Helen home with them to the loft. They got her settled on the couch and watched her from the bed.[51]

Jo and Alex took Helen to the hospital for a tour and Jo discovered she had knitted baby hats in an array of colors. Alex admitted he had told his mother that they wanted kids. Taken aback, Jo claimed she had a surgery and left. She then got herself on Jackson and Link's rotationplasty. During the surgery, Jo talked about having Helen over and how nice she was as a guest, except that she and Alex were now planning their babies. Jackson then asked her if she did not want kids like Alex. She said she did, but "some day" started to sound an awful lot like "today." Jackson talked about Harriet and Jo asked if all the cute stuff outweighs the terror, like always worrying about them and bad things happening to them. Jackson was offended so she apologized to him after surgery. He told her kids can be monsters, but at the same time, they give you the feeling that everything's right. He said kids can ruin you, but they can also give you a reason to live when life tries to ruin you. She then visited Alex's office and told him that she was terrified of passing on her genes because she didn't know anything about her biological family's medical history. While she had learned to live with it, she didn't want that for their kids, which is why she decided to have her genome screened.[52]

When she got her test results back, she asked Maggie to open them with her. She turned out not to be the carrier of any major genetic diseases and the test also revealed the name of a probable first cousin of hers. Intern Casey overheard and offered to look her up and possibly her relatives. Later, she stood in the audience as Maggie gave an interview about finding her biological family in Seattle, which Jo took as a sign to find her own biological mother. Speaking from experience, Jackson warned her that it can also make for a negative experience. For him, it only created more pain. After saying goodbye Alex and Helen as they left for their trip back to Iowa, Jo looked up Casey and asked if he could find her birth mother. He said he could and asked if she wanted him to. She said yes, after which he revealed he couldn't help himself and had already found her. He showed her a picture and told her her name was Vicki Rudin and that she lived in Pittsburgh.[53] After Alex returned, she booked a ticket to Pittsburgh to go meet her mother. Alex was worried over what would happen, but she told him that the worst that could happen was that her mother wouldn't want to see her, and then she'd just come home to him and at least she'd know.[54]

15x19-21

Jo meets her mother.

In Pittsburgh, Jo went to Vicki's big house and introduced herself. She immediately discovered that Vicki had two kids. Thinking she was a saleswoman, Vicki tried to end the conversation, but Jo name dropped Emerson Hospital. Vicki started to give directions, but Jo clarified that that was where she was born before she was left at a fire station on 47th Street. She then told Vicki she was her mother. Vicki told Jo she couldn't be there, at which point Vicki's husband and dog came back from their walk. Vicki claimed Jo was a Mormon and her husband took the dog inside. Jo then asked Vicki for one conversation at a diner nearby. Vicki didn't answer and just closed the door. Jo went to the diner and waited for quite a while. Just when she gave up and got ready to leave, Vicki showed up.

Reluctantly, she sat down and told Jo she was late for work at the Mayor's office. Jo then brought up her big house and family. She told Vicki she didn't need money. She told Vicki she had always thought that her mother had a terrible life and had no choice but to leave Jo. Vicki told her that she wanted a better life for Jo than she could give her. Jo inquired about Vicki's kids and husband, who Vicki told her was not her father. Jo then threw in her face that she never found that better life Vicki had wanted for her. No one found her adoring parents and she lived in foster homes so bad that as soon as a man told her he loved her, she believed him so bad that she couldn't see he was abusing her. She sincerely hoped that whatever life Vicki had, it was worse than that. Distraught, Vicki got up to leave. Jo commented at least she was consistent. Vicki then told her she succeeded if she came here to punish her. Jo said she just wanted to know where she came from. Vicki sat back down and talked about her heritage and family medical history, but Jo got all that from the DNA test. She wanted information that that test couldn't provide her with. Vicki sarcastically dashed out some trivia about herself. Jo then asked about her father so she could find him, to which Vicki coldly replied that he died in a motorcycle accident 10 years. She had hoped for a more painful death after all the hurt he had caused her. Thinking Vicki was just bitter because her childhood sweetheart didn't pan out, Jo got up to leave. Vicki then clarified that the man hurt her. She begged Jo to sit down. Jo complied. Vicki shared that he was a TA when she was a freshman in undergrad. He chased after her for weeks for a date and serenaded her with flowers and proclamations. Finally, she said yes to the date. Then she said no on the date when he started to kiss and touch her, but he wouldn't take no for an answer. Nine months later, she had Jo and five days later, she didn't.

Vicki told Jo how she managed to hide her pregnancy. Years after the rape, Vicki found her way to therapy, which is the first time she ever talked about it. It was only then that she came to terms with the word rape, because she had consented to the date. Somehow, because she knew the man, she thought that what he took from her didn't matter, but she found a way to realize that it did and to move forward. Jo questioned why she never once tried to find her. Vicki said she was petrified every moment of the pregnancy. She had to see that man every day in class and she was terrified Jo would be a boy who would have his face and voice. Every movement of Jo as a fetus reminded her of where the baby came from. But books and movies and magazines talk about this instantaneous love you feel the minute your baby is born. She kept telling herself that as soon as she had the baby in her arms, it would happen to her, too. She gave the hospital a fake name and on the same day as giving birth, she went home with Jo because she had get out of there. She wanted it to be the two of them and stare at her and hold her until that love came. It did come. Her heart cracked wide open, but it was never just the two of them. Everything about Jo reminded her of him. That's why she had to give her up.

Jo talked about being abandoned caused her to leave people that loved her before they could leave her and that every moment of her life, she was waiting for her mother to find her and tell her she was sorry about that. Vicki said she did the best she could. Jo replied that would have been to find her a loving family instead of tossing her aside like garbage. Vicki said it's easy to look back and see what she could have been done better, but she was a different person back then. She wasn't in her right mind. Vicki shared details of her rape and said that was the night she lost her right mind. He stole that for her and for nine months, she pretended she was fine. The day Jo was born, she could feel again for the first time since the rape, but her mind took years to come back and part of it never did. Vicki admitted Jo deserved better, but she really didn't have better to give her. Jo shared how she was seven weeks pregnant when her ex-husband cracked her ribs and threw her across the living room floor. She decided in that moment he could never know about the pregnancy. She couldn't see a way out back then. She knew leaving him would mean he'd kill her and she couldn't raise a kid in that fear and danger, so she had an abortion. She had never told anyone. Jo tried to take Vicki's hand to comfort her, but Vicki pulled away. Jo then asked if she looked like her father. Vicki admitted she did, a few features aside. Vicki apologized and said she was still doing the best she could. She then walked out, leaving a distraught Jo behind.[55] Alex found her in bed at night. She pretended to be asleep, but as he got ready for bed, she continued crying.[56]

She started to avoid Alex by going to work while he was in the shower. He found her at work and told her she could tell him what had happened, but she used a grant application for her fellowship as an excuse to go find Bailey, who would resume her Chief duties the next day. She ran into a confused and wounded Abby Redding in the lobby and Jo took her to the ER. Jo and Dahlia got ready to stitch up her face lac, which she claimed was caused by a cabinet door. However, as soon as Andrew showed up with a message from Bailey, Abby tightly grabbed Jo's hand upon seeing him. Jo caught that there was something going and had Andrew tell Bailey that she would be a while. After noticing that Abby was experiencing abdominal pain, too, Jo had Dahlia close the curtains and sent her away. Abby then revealed bruises all over her body and Jo promised her she was not going anywhere.

Dahlia and Jo took her private exam room and Teddy joined them. They asked if they could call someone, but Abby didn't want to bother her husband on his business trip. Teddy got consent to check for internal injuries with an ultrasound. Jo held her hand throughout the procedure. Teddy diagnosed a tear in her diaphragm, which would require surgery. Abby consented as she really wanted it to be over. Teddy asked Jo to speak privately, but Abby refused to let her go. Suspicious of a possible sexual assault, Teddy had Dahlia book an OR and inform the nurses to hold off on antibiotic prep as to not erase any evidence. The doctors offered to get her a counselor, but Abby didn't want any more doctors. Abby continued to make up excuses for her bruises. Jo then bluntly said she thought her husband was abusing her, possibly sexually assault. Abby firmly defended her husband and asked to be taken to the OR. Jo stressed that that would mean washing away all the evidence. Abby denied she had anything to report. Jo informed her they could gather the evidence and seal it away until she was ready to report the assault. Abby said women are never believed. She admitted she was raped after getting drunk at a bar after a fight with her husband with laundry, but the short skirt and tequila would make it all her fault while her rapist's drink would be his excuse. Abby broke down and said the kit wouldn't prove that she wasn't flirting or that she wasn't making this up to cover up her cheating on her husband. Jo, still holding Abby's hand, then shared how her husband abused her for years. She, too, was convinced no one would believe her. She never had the chance to hold him responsible so she couldn't imagine what Abby was feeling at the moment, but one day, she might feel different and want justice. Jo just wanted her to have everything she would need to get it. Abby said her husband could never find out and then consented to the evidence kit. Jo continued to hold her hand as Abby consented to every step of the kit. As soon as it was over, Abby started shaking and sobbing and Jo comforted her.

15x19-32

Jo walks Abby along the wall of women.

With Abby's condition worsening, they had to take her to the OR, but Abby started panicking. She couldn't bring herself to leave the room. She said every man had her rapist's face. It's all she could see. She begged the doctors not to make her see his face. Jo promised her she wouldn't have to. She came up with a plan and asked female staff to line the hallway from the room all the way to the elevator up to the OR floor. She held Abby's hand as they wheeled her all the way along the wall of women to the operating table. Jo promised Abby she would stay by her side. She held Abby's hand while Teddy fixed the tear. Teddy shared that she had seen many rape victims who had no clue how to talk about it. What Jo did today was not protocol, but she thought that it should be.

In post-op, they informed her the surgery had gone well and that they would keep the kit here until Abby decided to report it, if ever. While that decision was hers to make, the doctors urged her to talk to someone. Abby talked about she kept going through the night to see what she could have done differently to avoid it. Teddy firmly said it was not her fault. She did nothing to deserve this. Teddy left Abby with Jo. Abby said her husband would look at her and see a broken person. She thought that would be all he'd ever see if she were to tell him. Jo told her this did not define her. Whether she would tell people or not, she was a survivor. Jo shared that men in expensive shoes still make her nauseous because that's how Paul made her kidney bleed. For years, she thought she got what she deserved, that was responsible, that she could have avoided it if she had done some things differently. Abby told her that was not her fault and then realized the same was true for her. She then asked Jo for a phone to call her husband and asked for Jo to stay with her. Jo promised she'd stay as long as Abby needed her to.

Later, Jo stood in the doorway as Abby gave her statement to the police with her husband by her side. Alex caught up with her and asked to go out to dinner to celebrate his no longer being Chief. She told him she had had a rough day and didn't feel like celebrating. She wanted to go home and crawl into bed. Alex wanted to join her, but she told him to go celebrate with Meredith. Alex tried to get her to open up about her birth mother, stating he wouldn't judge given his family history, but Jo insisted she didn't want to or could talk about it. She said she needed to go home alone and sleep and walked off without him.[57]

The whole Pittsburgh experience triggered her abandonment issues and it made Jo clinically depressed. She kept Alex to leave her alone if he loved her and she claimed that she was sick so she could stay home from work and lie in bed all day. Worried about her, Alex sent over Link. He came by with chicken soup and forced her to let him in. While he grabbed bowls and spoons, she just climbed back into bed, disinterested in anything he had to say. He then started doing laundry for her. She told him to go, but he recalled a time a girlfriend dumped him and he drank for three days and he was so miserable, but she wouldn't leave him then despite his objections and she did his laundry for him, too. Jo then fetched a bottle of vodka from the freezer.

They got drunk together and she told him that that girlfriend had done him a favor by dumping him. She said she had done many people that favor, too. She talked about dating this guy named Logan while working at another restaurant. They dated for a while and the first time he told her he loved her, it made her feel the opposite of what it should. She felt like he was wrong for loving her, that she could not be loved, so she left, moved to another part of town and got a new job like none of it ever happened. She did the same thing to a guy in high school. And then she met Paul. She said her mother was and is a runner, too. She claimed she loved Jo, but she couldn't stand to be in the same room as her. She briefly tried to talk about her father, but she teared up and instead got another bottle of vodka. When Alex came home, he found her laughing hysterically at a cartoon. While he thought she was doing better, Link told him she was in a rough shape unlike anything he'd ever seen before. He was convinced she needed help, but he didn't know how to help her.[58]

Alex convinced Jo to come back to work but her colleagues couldn't behave normal around her. Jackson found her buried in a mountain of work in her lab as a result of Bailey's being Chief again and her absence. To take her mind off it, he invited her to help him out on his spray-on skin project. She accepted, but continuously called the work boring and shut down every attempt Jackson made at asking about her birth mother, only telling him that he had been right to advice her not to do it. He pointed out she must have needed it to try since she did it. Looking back, she didn't understand why as she had everything to be happy and she just threw it all aside for nothing, and now it felt impossible to get that happiness back. She was convinced talking to Alex would only hurt more. Jackson revealed Meredith had asked him to check in on her. Jo says her coming to work was a sign of her doing her best. He knew that she came to work drunk and had vodka stored in her water bottle. He was glad she at least had the decency to do research instead of see patients today. He invited her to talk, but she declined. He told her she would not be met with compassion if she came to work drunk ever again. Alex found out about her being drunk at work and threatened to go to Pittsburgh himself to find out what happened. She told him she would leave him if he ever brought that up again and again told him that she would talk to him when she was ready to. They made a deal that he would tell Bailey if she came to work drunk again, so she promised not to do that anymore.[59]

Alex put her on LEGO duty with Gus to avoid her having to deal with real cases. While she was building with Gus, a nurse came to fetch Jo to answer a call from the Head of Trauma at a hospital in Winnipeg. The doctor told her they had an Rh-Null patient and found Gus in a database. Excited, Jo told the doctor that she would find Alex and call her right back. She ran into Lori on her way to find him and shared that they found a donor. She also told Alex, who called her a good luck charm and gave her instructions to prepare Gus for the OR. Jo then called the doctor back and found out that the doctor was calling to see if Gus could donate for her patient, not the other way around. Upon returning to Gus's room, she overheard Lori making a call to her husband to share the news. Jo broke down and ran off. Ben found her sobbing in the hallway and tried to comfort her, but she ran off. She found Teddy and told her what happened and begged her to call in a favor from the military to correct the mistake. Teddy told her it wasn't a matter of jumping the line; there was no line to jump. Teddy tried to calm her down but found that Jo kept spiraling, so she asked Jo if she was doing okay. She offered to come talk to Lori with her, but Jo declined. Jo delivered the bad news. Lori lashed out because she had to call all these people back with bad news. Jo then broke down and Alex and Bailey found her sobbing in Lori's arms. Alex took her away and left her with Ben, who comforted Jo while Alex vented his despair over Jo's state of being in Bailey's office.[60]

Alex switched places with Meredith in hopes that Meredith could get through to Jo. Meredith was determined to stay at the loft until Jo talked to her and ignored Jo's attempts to push her away. Meredith talked to her about understanding of pain, which came from deep experience, in an attempt to make Jo see that she would be able understand her pain. Jo told her that unless her father raped her mother and she looked just like him, she couldn't understand this. Jo then finally opened up and shared this experience of watching a girl who hurt herself in the playground be comforted by her mother. Ever since she was a kid, she imagined that her mother would hold her like that mother held her daughter if she ever found her, but now she knew that would never happen. She said she never should have existed in the first place and that everything that Paul had put her through was just her birthright.

Meredith listed things that Jo helped her out with at work, how her love changed Alex, and how she prevented Paul from further abusing his fiancée. That was proof that violence was not her inheritance but something she had overcome. She told Jo she had an enormous heart and capacity for survival. She had survived something dark and used that experience to help other people, and if her mother couldn't see that, then that was on her. Meredith told her about her drowning and how she gave up, but the people who loved her pulled her through. That's why she was there with her. She asked Jo if she wanted to stop or if she just needed a few more days. Jo replied the latter. Meredith then told her they were going to talk to Bailey and Alex to get her a proper leave of absence so she could get the help that she needed.

15x24-5

Jo asks Meredith to go tell Alex while she waits for Bailey.

They arrived at the hospital and found that Bailey and Catherine were in a meeting. Jo asked Meredith to go talk to Alex as she couldn't bring herself to do that, while she would wait for Bailey to finish her meeting. Meredith ordered Andrew to stay by Jo's side, but Bailey called him into the conference room.[61]

Meredith's insurance fraud was discovered and Andrew had taken the fall for her. With him arrested and several attendings out, Bailey asked Jo if she could work. Jo said she could and went to the ER. She and Link waited for ambulances to bring in victims of the car pile-up that was caused by the fog. Link used the fog as a metaphor to tell Jo that despite her current state, the sun would shine again. They laughed at how bad that was. Bailey soon joined them and she agreed to talk with Jo later. The first ambulance brought in Owen and Frances Pinfield, Gus's agoraphobic blood donor from London. Jo and Levi took her to get her blood drawn and Frances talked about how there was something freeing about being forced to walk through your worst fears. Jo then took the blood to Gus in the hyperbaric medicine lab. After the transfusion, she stayed behind to tell Alex, whom Meredith had informed about the cause of Jo's depression, that she was not fine despite her knowing how to rise when she had to. He promised her they would figure it out. He took her to the in-patient psychiatry department, where Dr. Olivia Fowler got her checked in after she said goodbye to Alex.[62]

During her checking in, Jo was rid off all things that might be a danger to her and she brought to her room, where she lied down and cried. After a week, she and Alex decided to have her committed into a psychiatric facility. Alex dropped her off and she told him she didn't want to be another name on his list of crazy people. She reminded him they weren't married and offered him an out. He didn't respond, so she just walked away and checked herself in.[63]

She met her therapists, one of whom was Carly Davis. Carly wanted to try to EMDR and since Jo had no interest in being there, she offered to let Jo go if she could explain EMDR in 30 seconds or less. She failed to mention how it illuminates your capital T, trauma, so Carly made her stay. Jo denied having undergone trauma and commented on Carly not sharing any of her almonds, which Carly attributed to maintaining boundaries with her patients. They then started the EMDR therapy, which brought up that Jo felt shame for not being in her safe place, the OR. When asked about memories that gave her the same feeling, Jo admitted she kept replaying her mother pulling her hand away at the diner over and over. Carly stated they'd work on that. However, Jo didn't feel like doing the work and tried to sneak out in the middle of the night. As the therapist on guarding duty, Carly caught her. She had suspected Jo would run off. Jo admitted she didn't know why she wanted to run as she was feeling shame for things she didn't do but instead for things that were done to her. Carly pointed out Jo was used to being exceptional while at this point, she was like everyone else in the facility, mentally, stuck in one moment that seemed like it was defining her entire life. Carly thought it was not about her mother walking away from her and told her she would need to move through the fear and shame to anger. Jo told her she couldn't do that, meaning she would be stuck there forever.[64]

After three weeks, she and Alex met with her doctor present. Jo told him that during her depressive episode, she felt fear, shame, and pain. She was ashamed that she had lost the ability to receive the love that he was giving. She had pushed him away and she was afraid she would never be able to regain his trust. Jo thought he had had enough crazy for a lifetime and said he deserved someone stronger than her. Her doctor pointed out that her decision to come to the facility made her stronger than most, in spite of what society made her believe.[65]

The next day, Jo reached that stage of anger and burst into Carly's office to tell her she hated everything; her mother and her pulling away, her rapist father, and Paul. With a smile, Carly pointed out she had made a breakthrough by moving into the anger. Jo told her she couldn't get angry because she was afraid she could never stop being angry and then she would become like Paul. Carly informed her she needed to learn what healthy anger looked like. Jo thought she was preparing her for another EMDR session and said she couldn't have that now. Carly was proud of her for finally asking for what she wanted. She brought out a bucket of soft toys and started throwing them at the wall. She invited Jo to join her and told her they were consenting adults who were okay with throwing things at walls instead of people. That set them apart from Paul since they were feeling the anger yet still controlling their behavior. She then started throwing the toys hard and started screaming until the anger had left her body. They sat down and Carly shared that she used to be a Safe Haven volunteer. No matter how fast she would get to a fire station after a call, the baby was always wrapped up in a warm blanket, surrounded by love, when she got there. She explained that while Jo didn't have a memory of her mother abandoning her, her brain and body had a memory of her pulling away, which was triggered by what happened at the diner. However, despite that, it was important for Jo to remember that, just like as a baby, she was still surrounded by love.[66]

At the end of her treatment a week later, she was surprised when Alex showed up to pick her up. He got on one knee and admitted he had thought about leaving her because he was scared, but he had come to realize that he was stronger with her by his side, in sickness and health. She reminded him she wasn't magically fixed, but he didn't care and asked her to marry him again. She happily accepted and they shared a kiss.[67]

On her first day back to work, Jo prepared herself to be looked at like she was a fragile bird. Alex wanted to smooth things over and offered her a job at Pac-North, allowing her to run her own fellowship, but Jo's therapist had told her that she needed to return to her life without making too many changes, so she went back to Grey Sloan. Bailey was surprised to see her and, upon hearing Alex's offer, made her the exact same one. Jo took the day to think about them and ran into Link, who told her that Amelia was pregnant with his child. While she listened to his concerns about raising a child, Alex called her to check in on her and offered to make her an attending general surgeon after hearing about Bailey's counteroffer. She returned to Link and assured him he would be a great dad if he wanted to be one. Afterwards, she found Bailey and requested to be made attending general surgeon at Grey Sloan, stating she knew her worth and would be an asset to any hospital, which Bailey could decide could be her hospital. Bailey and Jo talked in her office and Bailey conceded. Jo came home and told Alex that she had leveraged his offer to make Bailey hire her at Grey Sloan. Alex recognized that Grey Sloan was better for her career and advised her to demand a parking space, to which Jo replied that Bailey had given her his parking space.[68]

Bailey made a concession by allowing Jo to perform an ALPPS procedure in her first week as an attending to express her trust in Jo's capabilities. However, the patient didn't want to let anybody but Meredith operate on her despite Jo having been trained by Meredith. Jo then got Bailey to consent to having Meredith supervise her every move through video chat, during which Meredith convinced the patient that Jo was great, which got her to consent. The surgery went well despite a small touch-and-go moment with an unexpected bleeding, which Jo handled. After she finished, Bailey and the entire staff applauded for her. While Meredith was in the middle of congratulating Jo, Bailey hung up on her.[69]

After Meredith's article was published as a slash-and-burn exposé on Grey Sloan, Jo was concerned for the hospital. She went to Bailey to request to be allowed to schedule more ALPPS procedures for her but Bailey was too busy handling the fall-out of the article to hear her. However, when Bailey commented she felt hot, Jo suggested the stress may have gotten to her heart, which worried Bailey. Later, Meredith pulled Jo into a staircase to find out how the hospital was coping with the negative press. Jo admitted it had the residents panicking while the other staff was divided between supporting her and loathing her. Jo stated she was worried about Bailey's health and wished Meredith good luck when she heard Meredith wanted to clear the air between them. Afterwards, she ran into Jackson and told him it must be freeing for Meredith to do what she felt was right without worrying about the optics, which inspired Jackson to do the right thing with Clervie Martin.[70]

At work, Jo came across Bailey and Levi as they wheeled Carly Davis into the hyperbaric chamber to treat a carbon monoxide poisoning. Jo recognized her and inserted herself onto the case, taking Levi's place. Once the chamber was sealed, Bailey found how Jo was connected to Carly. Jo explained she was just one of her three therapists at the center. Bailey inquired why Carly had wanted to commit suicide but Jo had no clue. She noticed how her hands shook as she worked. She laughed about having forgotten everything Carly had taught her about keeping her nervous system calm. She continued to panic and stated she was back to square one. She wanted to leave but couldn't because the chamber was sealed. She wondered what it meant for her if the one person who was supposed to make her feel better could go off and attempt suicide. She started listing the steps of a chest tube, which was a trick she had learnt in therapy to calm herself. However, as it didn't work and she kept spiraling, Bailey blurted out that she was pregnant in order to distract Jo, which worked. Bailey admitted to being excited but terrified. Jo corrected her and said both feelings could coexist at the same. Bailey started to panic, too, so Jo now had her recite something she knew by heart to calm her down, which worked on her. Carly then inexplicably started seizing after starting to get better, which lead to Jo suggesting she was diabetic, which she figured was the reason behind Carly's incessant almond eating. They corrected her hypoglycemia, which improved her status.

Carly was taken to the ICU and Jo insisted on seeing the case through. Before she headed into the room to check on Carly, Bailey told her she had watched Jo teeter on the edge and bring herself as well as Bailey back from that all the while saving Carly's life, which told her Jo was far from back at square one. Carly then woke up and Jo informed her she was calling psych as was required for all suicide attempts. Carly revealed she hadn't tried to kill herself. Her CO detector battery had been dead for months and she passed out while reading a book. Jo then decided she couldn't be Carly's doctor anymore because of boundaries, which made Carly proud. At home that night, Jo told Alex she had had a rough day but didn't want to talk about it; Instead, she started throwing toys at the wall to get herself to an okay state of mind. Alex joined her and the laughed as he hit a lamp.[71]

Jo had the day off on Halloween and she decided to stay home and scare trick-or-treaters with her bloodied bride costume, which had failed to scare Alex. Jo tried to sneak up on him at Pac-North to scare him but to no avail. He told her a graveyard was discovered in the construction site outside and had her help out when several patients in the ICU started crashing simultaneously, which made Jo believe the hospital was haunted. Together, Alex, Jo, and Owen figured out all patients had received transfusions from blood that had been stored in a faulty fridge. While Alex handled the crisis with investors walking around, Jo waited for him in his office. He came in and said he had impressed the investors with his ability to handle chaos, which is why they awarded him with the funding he had been after. To celebrate, he took Jo to the courthouse to get married. While still wearing her bloodied wedding dress, she told him she was pregnant during her vows. He was startled and she laughed as she finally got to scare him. She assured him she was not pregnant and the ceremony continued.[72]

On the day of Meredith's hearing before the medical committee, Jo warned the residents that they were on their own since most of the attendings were out to attend the hearing, like Jo herself. She warned her to only call her for urgent matters. After finishing up at the hospital, she took off to the hotel. She arrived late, just in time to watch a distressed Levi storm out of the room. She was informed he had been the one to report Meredith to Bailey. Later, she assisted Alex with his surprise of bringing in a group of patients who had been treated and saved by Meredith as well as reading letters of support by former colleagues of Meredith's. Jo was among the group who heard the verdict and congratulated Meredith as she got to keep her license.[73]

Alex Leaving Her[]

Link and Amelia came across a stressed-out Jo at the hospital. She informed them she had signed up to become a Safe Haven volunteer, like Carly, and had just received a call about a baby having been dropped off at SFD Station 19. Since Alex was out of town to see his mother, she asked Link to come with her. Since he thought she was taking on too much too soon, he offered to cancel his surgery but she declined and said she'd be fine. She entered the station and met Victoria Hughes, whom she recognized as Jackson's girlfriend. Dean Miller and Ben then brought over the baby, whom they estimated to be three days old. Ben then gave Jo a tour. They sat down in the break room to feed the baby. Jack came by and she told him she had been dropped off at a fire station as a baby herself. They then bonded over having been in the foster system. Jack informed her the SFD has about seven babies per year who are left stations. Jo thought there'd be more abandoned babies. Ben pointed out they use the word "surrendered" and try not to judge. While feeding the baby, Jo told Ben she had thought volunteering would be different. She had expected to feel an understanding and forgiveness for her mother but it actually had the opposite effect. Ben reminded her of the effect trauma can have on people. Ben offered her a ride to the hospital so she could drop the baby off as the baby's exam was all good. Jo added he was all good except for the fact that his parents didn't want him. Ben said the people who gave birth to the baby didn't want him; he had yet to meet his parents. Ben dropped her off at the hospital but he ran off as he received a worrying text about Bailey, leaving Jo alone at the ER entrance. She then turned around and took the baby home. Link came to visit her after a distressing call and as he saw the baby there, she admitted it was too much too soon.[74]

Jo explained to Link she wanted the baby to have one cozy night. Link pointed out she did something illegal. Meredith came over to vent about Cormac and understood Jo's decision regarding the baby. When they got paged for the traumas resulting from a car crash into Joe's bar, Jo decided to sneak the baby into the nursery and pretend he had been there all night. In the nursery, she met Cormac Hayes and realized he was the one that Cristina had sent for Meredith. He had heard great things about Alex. The exam turned out fine and Cormac gave Jo a few minutes before involving social services. He talked about having missed his own two boys growing up as he was a resident back when they were little. Jo cuddled the boy and told him he would have people looking out for him despite his bumpy start. After handing him over to the social worker, Jo told Link she had fallen in love with that boy a little bit. He understood, having a child on the way himself, and invited her to come hang with his child anytime. Later, Jo caught a glimpse of Meredith chatting with Cormac and told her that she could see something happening between the two.[75]

While working a busy ER shift, Link told Jo that Amelia's baby might not be his. They scrubbed in for surgery and he told Jo that it wouldn't change anything for him and that Amelia didn't want a paternity test anyway. Jo pointed out he didn't just have to be okay with it and that he could love her and be mad at her at the same time.[76] After Link convinced Amelia to get a paternity test anyway, Amelia began to avoid him. Jo ran into her and told her that Link was allowed to have his feelings and that she should stop avoiding him. She added that you should give the people you love all the information in order to give them the chance to rise to the occasion. She admitted Alex was ignoring her, which make her anxious. She later ran into Joey Phillips and, using her own history with the foster system, made him see that he had to take care of himself before he could be reunited with his siblings. She and Bailey operated on his arm to restore proper blood flow. Jo said Joey had a tough time ahead as no one would adopt a 17-year-old boy who looked like he could fend for himself. As they watched him sleep post-op, Jo told a worried Bailey that both she and Alex had been like Joey and that the two of them turned out fine. She then went home to her empty loft.[77]

Despite Jo's attempt to reconcile the two, Amelia continued to ignore Link, much like Alex kept ignoring Jo. A patient of hers had jumped in front of a bear to protect his wife and Jo felt like a bear was headed for her and Link. Link assured her Alex would tell her all about his family situation when he returned. Jo told Link that Amelia was like this sometimes, citing the time Amelia ignored Owen and camped out on Stephanie's couch. She and Owen found out that the woman who had been saved by her husband was actually cheating on him. That together with Alex ignoring her made Jo think about the worst case scenarios as to why Alex was keeping her in the dark. Later, Jo had to inform her patient that her husband had died, causing her to turn down the man she has been cheating with. After witnessing the heartbreak, Jo left Alex a message asking him to call her as she needed to know what was going on, whatever it was. She concluded by saying she would jump in front of a bear for him.[78] During the Seattle blizzard, Jo had a busy day taking care of Tess Anderson. She decided to reach out to Helen Karev and found out that Alex wasn't with her, nor had he been. While sitting alone at home with a glass of wine, she heard movement at the door and rushed to open it, believing Alex had finally returned. Instead, it was Link, who had come to bring her some comfort food. Jo told Link about what she had found, which had convinced her that Alex had truly left her. She broke down and Link comforted her.[79]

Since she couldn't bear to live in the loft by herself, she temporarily stayed at Link's place. He went by her place to pick up some of her stuff and brought it to the hospital with him. He also brought her her mail, which included a letter from Alex. Link offered to sit with her but she wanted to read it on her own. He wrote that he didn't want to do it like this, that she deserved more than this. He wrote that he loved her, her bravery and resilience, all of her. However, he had to tell her that he was also in love with Izzie. He recalled the time he told her about the life he had imagined for Izzie with kids and that he was now suddenly a part of that picture. He confessed that he had used Meredith's trial as an excuse to reach out to her and they got to talking and it felt like no time had passed. He was now living on a farm with Izzie and he felt like belonged there, because Izzie had his kids. He knew that Jo would understand that he couldn't leave and miss another second of their lives after having already missed five years. He hoped Jo loved him enough to let him take the chance to make his kids' lives whole, to give them the family he and Jo had never had. He wanted to do everything he could to make that life work. He stressed that he had meant everything about his life with Jo and that he wished getting the family that he always wanted didn't mean having to hurt Jo in the process. He admitted he couldn't come back to tell her in person because he wouldn't be able to walk away from her again. He thanked her for taking care of him, for making him kinder. He got her divorce papers and decided to leave her everything, including his shares in Grey Sloan, because she deserved everything good in life. He ended his letter by writing he hoped she could find someone better than him and apologized once more. After she was done reading the letter, Link wanted to take her day drinking but she decided to focus on her work, scrubbing in with Maggie. Link told her she was his hero. She shared the sentiment.[80]

As she couldn't bear to be in the loft by herself, Link moved in with her to keep her company while he was working out his problems with Amelia. En route to work, Jo uttered disgust over a young couple making out on the platform, stating all love sucks eventually. At work, the young man was brought after having been electrocuted after falling onto the tracks. Link and Jo operated on the man with Amelia. He pulled through but he would need extensive physical therapy. His lover did not want to stay and take care of him while she was supposed to move to England to pursue her dream. Link commented on how fast their love fizzled out, thinking Jo had been right. However, Jo had changed her mind. She tried to hate Alex but couldn't bring herself to do that. While she was mad and hurt over his leaving her, the love he had shown her made grow as a person so she was confident she could get back on her feet. He made her feel worthy of love and she would always remember that. She then advised Link not to blow things with Amelia, who at least had given Link a choice. Jo then went to the bar by herself, where Andrew tried to hit on her. She threw her drink in his face and told him to get help.[81]

On Meredith's pro bono surgery day, Meredith called Jo at 5 am to request her help. Jo got off her couch, where she had been sleeping since Alex left, took off her wedding ring, and headed into work. She got word from Link that Amelia's baby was his. As Meredith divided her patients between the surgeons who had agreed to participate, she wondered how to address Jo now. Jo decided she would go by "Dr. Jo" until further notice. After turning down an invitation from Jackson to go to a game with him, Jo scrubbed in with Owen. He went to express his sympathies for her but she didn't want to be reminded of Alex while in her happy place. He let her know she was always welcome if she were in need of company. After a long day at work, Jo came across a sad Levi at the bar. He had broken up with Nico and was out of a place to live. Jo then invited him to stay with her. She explained the loft was too empty and she didn't want to be chased out of the place she had bought for herself. Levi gladly accepted her offer.[82]

Jo and Levi subsequently developed a close friendship. He told her about the little things his mom did for him while he used to live with her, which Jo commented didn't sound so bad. With all the attendings gathering for Richard's case, Jo was put in charge of the ER, where Levi came to help her out. He was distracted all day by focusing on Nico's social media posts until Jo pointed out he was missing his chance to shine. At night, Levi came home while Jo was watching TV and he announced he was moving out, because he had taken her comments to mean that he was overstaying his welcome. She explained she was snapping at him as his superior but his presence at home was the only thing keeping her sane, so she convinced him to stay.[83]

While working a case with Cormac and Jackson, Jo contemplated using a dating app but decided she was feeling too miserable to date yet. Cormac expressed hate over being set up, at which point Jo hinted that he had his own personal matchmaker. He inquired about her comment but she brushed it off, choosing not to share her knowledge of Cristina's intentions for him and Meredith.[84]


Near the end of March 2020, Jo approached Jackson to ask him for sex. She wanted to have sex with someone she trusted to get over Alex, like a bridge to the other side of feeling like a sad sack. While surprised by her random proposition, Jackson accepted and they agreed to meet up that night. She showed up at his place with a bottle of booze and found he had set up for a date with romantic music. She mocked him for that and they shared the bottle she brought while she commented on having never been with someone as rich as him. They then proceeded to make out until Jo started sobbing. They stopped and he comforted her on the couch.[85]

COVID-19 Pandemic, Switching Specialties and Becoming a Mother[]

Shortly after their disastrous encounter, the coronavirus hit the United States. They worked the frontlines at Grey Sloan Memorial as Seattle was one of the cities hit hardest in April 2020. They worked together with some awkward tension on Kayden Lee, a kid who broke quarantine to go party with his friends and ended up being burned. As they scrubbed in for his surgery, Jo commented that people do stupid things. During the surgery, Jo continued to snap at Jackson. They managed to stabilize Kayden. Once he got settled in his room, Jackson told Jo he could apologize for their awkward encounter if that would help her be less angry. She revealed she was actually ashamed for crying and snotting into his mouth rather than angry at him. She admitted she hadn't been ready for casual sex. They agreed to pretend their encounter had never happened so they could go back to being friends.[86]

With their friendship, Jo found Jackson in Kayden's room to get an update for Kayden's father. They found that Kayden's burns had gone through his chest wall. They rushed him back to surgery. Together with Teddy and Maggie, they tried to save him but lost him on the table. Jo found a crying Teddy in the attendings' lounge. Having heard about her affair with Tom, she told Teddy she had no sympathy for her. Teddy snapped at her to mind her own business, to which Jo replied that Teddy was to blame for having blown up her own life. Teddy bluntly said it wasn't her fault that Alex had left Jo and she questioned if Jo had never hurt someone she loved or sabotaged her own happiness because it felt so unfamiliar. Jo then softened up a little and advised Teddy to try harder to talk to Owen.[87] At some point during the pandemic, Jo started going to virtual therapy three times a week to process Alex leaving her.[88]

After Meredith was admitted with COVID, Jo took over her service. Jo and Levi watched a message from Richard together, stating there were enough tests available for all personnel and that residents were no longer allowed to work on patients with an unknown COVID status. Jo was working the ER. She had a brief run-in with Link, who was adjusting to life as a new dad. Levi came to fetch Jo for Val Ashton, a patient with abdominal pain. Val's labs revealed that she was pregnant yet the ultrasound didn't show a fetus. A scan revealed a hepatic pregnancy. Carina and Jo planned to deliver the baby as soon as possible since the placental growth could cause a major bleeding. After multiple rounds of failed IVF over 8 years, Val was delighted that a drunken one-night stand had given her a baby after her ex-husband had blamed her as the reason for them not being able to conceive. She consented to the surgery and said she was ready to meet her baby girl Luna. Cormac and Carina rushed Luna to the NICU while Bailey and Jo took care of Val, with Jo standing up to Bailey for her surgical plan. Afterward, Bailey found Jo spending time with the baby in the NICU and told her that her work had not gone unnoticed. While appreciative of her comments, Jo said Meredith had to get better. Bailey agreed. Jo spent the rest of the night by Luna's side.[89]

Just as Jo found out that murder hornets had been spotted in the U.S., Jackson invited Jo to come hang out at his place. She accepted as long as he was paying for the food. Over beers that night, they talked about Meredith. Jo reminisced about the long way they had come since the time that Meredith used to kick Jo out of Alex's bed. Jackson said Meredith was a force of nature. They agreed she would beat the virus. Jo woke up the next morning on the couch. He had ordered them breakfast. She thanked him for their friendship reboot and then pulled him in for a kiss, stating she was ripping off the band-aid. They had amazing sex on the couch. Jo commented it was more than a bridge. They agreed to go again right away so it would all count as one time, so they wouldn't become a thing. Afterward, Jo headed to work and ran into Levi in the parking lot. He figured she had worked overnight since she wasn't home in the morning. She said she had been exercising. As Nico passed by, Jo derived from Levi's face that him and Nico were hooking up again. Levi defended himself by saying that the Dutch government had advised its citizens to find one designated sex partner to keep things safe during the pandemic. That inspired Jo to go back to Jackson's place that night. Thinking she was looking for something more, he told her he couldn't be in a relationship right now as he had moved on too soon after April and Maggie. Jo said that she was still working to put herself back together, so she only wanted a designated sex partner. He agreed to that and let her in.[90]

When she was called into a delivery due to hospital policy while passing through the hall, she discovered the joy of OB/GYN, and began to consider switching specialties amid a dark time in her life because surgery wasn't bringing her any happiness. When she decided to go for it, Bailey wouldn't approve of it at first due to the surgical staff shortage but later relented and Jo officially became an OB/GYN resident under Carina DeLuca.

Relationships[]

Romantic[]

Chris Cleaver[]

Chris was Jo's first boyfriend. In 2003, when Jo was in high school and her car was about to be towed, Chris paid the driver so that he didn't take her car. They started dating and he liked that she lived in her car and wanted her to meet his parents. She agreed to meeting them, but when he asked her to move to his college with him, she took off and drove her car to another state.[91]

Paul Stadler[]

Jo was married to Paul, but he was extremely abusive. One incident left her with an almost ruptured kidney. Another time, he cracked her ribs and threw her across the living room floor. Unbeknownst to Paul, Jo was 7 weeks pregnant at the time, but had an abortion soon after, because she knew he would kill her if she ran away, but she also knew she could not raise a child under Paul's fear and violence. Later, she ran from him for good, and she knew that if she filed a divorce, he would find her and possibly harm her, so she changed her identity and started a new life in another city, still technically married to him.

Years later, Paul found Jo in Seattle and confronted her. He said to her that they needed to get divorced so that he and his fiancée can get married. They signed divorce papers.[92]

When Paul became the victim of a hit-and-run, he suffered a concussion, but this was made worse when he injured his head on a bed frame and his brain began to swell, leaving him brain dead. Jo, who was still legally his wife as the divorce papers hadn't gone through yet, decided to donate his organs, stating that some good should come out of his death since his life brought evil.[93]

Jason Myers[]

Jo had a crush on Jason when she started working at Seattle Grace Mercy West Hospital. Jo and the other interns gave Jason the nickname of Chest Peckwell. Eventually, Jo and Jason began a romantic relationship. However, Jason and Alex constantly butted heads over allegations that Alex had feelings for Jo. Alex would inform Jason of Jo's troubled past, causing an argument. During that argument, Jason physically harmed Jo, causing her to move out and end the relationship. It was later revealed that Jo nearly killed Jason when she fought back, even to the extent of a brain bleed. He demanded to see the police but was convinced otherwise after being threatened by Alex.[94]

Alex Karev[]

Shortly after first meeting her and telling her that he likes "chicks with boy names," Jo assured Alex that as he had already slept with all of her friends, she wasn't interested in him.[95] Alex frequently referred to Jo Wilson as "princess" due to her so-called 'prissy' manners and attitude. She revealed to Alex her past life difficulties and the two became close friends after bonding at Bailey's wedding. They got along very well and they often drank together. However, they hit a snag when Jo began dating Jason Myers. After a huge fight between Jo and Jason, Jo revealed to Alex that Jason had hit her during the argument. Alex admitted to Cristina that he loved Jo, but that he was scared to tell her because of past failed relationships. During the superstorm, Alex finally admitted to Jo that he loved her and the couple shared a kiss. They hit a bit of a rocky patch when Alex's dad came into the hospital from a car crash related to drugs. Alex asked Jo to do a paternity test and he said he didn't want to know at the same time she said: "he's your father." Alex then proceeded to stalk his father at bars where he was performing. When Alex didn't come home for 3 nights in a row, Jo got worried. He then told her what was happening and they worked it out. Alex really knew he loved Jo then.

When Alex's father returned to the hospital going through withdrawal, Jo tried to handle him but found herself in over her head. Alex told her it wasn't her fault and that he'd been this way his whole life. At April's wedding, Alex told Jo that they would be together forever and were the only family each other needs. He said that if they do have kids, they will be great parents and will not need anyone else then share a passionate kiss. When Alex called Jo his fiancée, she told him that she didn't realize his speech at the wedding was a proposal since it didn't end with the words "Will you marry me?" and that she was not walking out on him, but she wasn't ready for marriage. She comforted Alex when his dad died.

When Leah issued a complaint to HR, the non-fraternization rule was put in place, forbidding unmarried couples of different authority levels to continue seeing each other. Alex and Jo faked a fight in front of the hospital, allowing them to believe they broke up while secretly staying together. Meredith gave Alex a love contract for them both to sign so they could continue working and seeing each other without getting into trouble. When Jo refused to sign it, Alex assured her that it wasn't a scary document to anything. She can't count on him because anything could happen at any minute. The contract just made it so that he could kiss her when he wants to. She signed and they shared a kiss. When Alex was offered a new job at a pediatric private practice, he sought Jo's advice and she was very supportive of him. She told him that working two jobs made him like a double agent which is very sexy. Alex took the job and Jo was very proud of him, telling him he'll do great.

Later Alex proposed to Jo. She did not give him an answer and said she had to think about it. When he asked for a real answer, she said no. She was at Joe's Bar with Stephanie later that day and she got drunk. Stephanie then left her in the hands of Andrew DeLuca. He then took Jo home. She told Andrew how she rejected Alex’s proposal, and that she didn’t want to. She confessed to him that she was married to a man who almost beat her to death. She then took off her shirt and pants in front of Andrew and she accidentally pulled him into the bed. Alex then walked in the apartment, and to him it looked like Andrew was trying to rape a drunk Jo, so Alex almost beat Andrew to death. Alex turned himself in after Andrew was brought to the hospital and went to jail, only to be bailed out by Meredith. Jo was frightened by this side of Alex and they broke up.

While Alex was working in the clinic, Jo was subpoenaed to testify at Alex’s trial, she told him she was married. She said that it could all come out in court and that’s why she couldn’t marry him. She wanted him to know if she just disappeared after the trial, it wasn’t because of him, it was because she didn’t want her husband to find her. Alex took this information and went to the DA to take the plea bargain he was offered. Andrew then heard about this and went to the DA to drop the charges.[96]

Later, Alex went to find Jo’s husband, Paul Stadler, and confront him. He saw him but didn’t confront him because he knew it would make things worse. Alex then found out that Jo wouldn’t take him back because she was afraid he would hurt her. After Alex found this out, he went to Jo and confessed that he went to confront Paul, but he didn’t do anything. He assured her that he’s done stupid things, but he would never hurt her. Ever. Jo then kissed him and they got back together.

When Jo and Alex had a patient with a failed "HoCoPro", Pete, Jo waited for Alex after work with a sign that had "Homecoming?" written on it. Alex asked if Jo was asking him to a dance, but then Jo said that she wanted Alex to come home.[97]

Jo saw how good Alex was with his patients, especially Kimmie and Charlie, so that night, when Alex came home, Jo had filled their apartment with candles. She started talking about how she and Alex together just made sense. Alex, realizing what was happening, went to find the engagement ring. When he couldn't find the ring, Jo showed him that she was wearing it. Jo knelt down in front of Alex and said, "You are my home, and you are my heart. Alex Karev, will you marry me?" Alex then kissed her and said, "That's a hell yes".

After Kimmie left the hospital, Alex was sitting in her patient room when Jo walked in and told him that she wanted to have kids with him, and that she also wanted to take his name when they got married because she'd never had the last name of anyone who loved her.[98]

While stressing out about planning their wedding, April came to help them out. She told them she would plan their wedding, but when Alex was going through his bank account, he noticed something and didn't tell Jo for the rest of the day. That day, Nurse Olivia came back to the hospital with her son who has swallowed a whistle. Olivia then spent the day making fun of Alex for his past behavior, especially the time he gave her syphilis. When Olivia found out that Alex and Jo were engaged, she wished Jo "the best of luck with that". After Olivia and Alex talked, he was leaving and she said "She's too good for you" and to that Alex replied "You don't think I know that". But that night when Jo came home, she was worried about what Alex saw on his bank account and assured him that she didn't care if he was having money problems, but he told her there was too much money in the account and that his mother, Helen Karev, hadn't been cashing the checks he'd been sending her. Alex and Jo then went to Iowa only to find that Alex's mom was doing great and back at work. When his mom said that his presence was upsetting her, Jo took him to the batting cage to calm down. Alex then went back to the library and introduced Jo to his mom.[99]

At their wedding, Jo and Alex ignored the superstitions and went to a private place together to have pre-wedding sex and found themselves in a shed. They then got locked in the shed and couldn't get out until Meredith and Andrew found them. At this point, Jo and Alex were late to their own wedding and they had to move locations because the wedding planner had an allergic reaction and there was blood all over everything. They all got on a ferry boat, and Maggie suggested Jo and Alex get married on the ferry, with Meredith officiating.[100]

After Jo visited her birth mother and found out the truth about her father, she fell into a depressive state. Alex stayed by her side, helping her at therapy. She hated the fact that she was another one of his crazy women, and said that they weren't even married, which gave him an out. However, Alex told her later that he didn't want an out. He wanted to marry her again. They got remarried on Halloween.[101]

When Alex disappeared to Iowa to visit his mother, Jo began to worry, as he wasn't responding to any of her texts or calls. He was supposedly dealing with something, but Jo worried that he was getting revenge for when she needed time, even though she knew he would never do that. While operating on a patient whose wife cheated on him, she started to think that maybe Alex was cheating on her. Owen told her that it had taken him and Teddy, like Jo and Alex, a long time to get where they were, and he wasn't going to screw that up for anything. He reassured her that Alex wouldn't, either.

She feared that he left her for good after calling his mom and finding out that Alex had never gone to Iowa. Shortly after that, she got a letter from him saying that he had reconnected with his ex-wife, Izzie (now a successful surgical oncologist) and had been living in Kansas with her and their two children, Alexis and Eli. He revealed that he had never fallen out of love with Izzie, and realized that her having their kids was everything he needed to go back to her. He told Jo that he would not be returning to Seattle and left her divorce papers.[102]

Jackson Avery[]

Jo wanted a bridge from Alex to something new so she asked Jackson to sleep with her to go over that bridge which he accepted. Later that day they tried to but Jo started crying. Weeks after during the pandemic they wanted a reboot of their friendship and Jo ended up falling asleep on the couch. When they woke up, they slept together. They then kept on sleeping together for a while during COVID.

Atticus Lincoln[]

Link and Jo have known each other since they were undergrads. They waited tables at Jimmy's Crab Shack together. They describe themselves as being like brother and sister. When a girlfriend of his broke up with him, he was distraught and Jo came by his place to spend time with him even though he wanted to be alone. She insisted on staying and did his laundry for him. Her company helped him through that rough patch and he returned the favor when she returned from meeting her mother.

Link later admitted to Jo that he had a "huge crush" on her during their undergrad, which caused Jo to rethink about how she felt about him. After Link saw Amelia and Kai kissing, Link became upset. That night, he was with Jo who was trying to make him feel better about the situation, and they ended up hooking up.

Jo then developed a crush on Link, believing that she loved him, so she started to avoid him. When she returned home after work, she found him in her shower and they kissed before she realized what she was doing and she asked him to move out.

Todd Eames[]

Jo had a patient named Laura who was in for a mitral valve repair. Her brother, Todd, flirted with Jo and when she asked him to go get a drink at Joe's, he accepted and they left the hospital together.[103] Later, Todd brought Jo study snacks and asked her to have dinner, but she had to decline because she needed to study, though she did accept his gifts.[104] They continued seeing each other, even getting drinks at Joe's with Link, at which point they helped Jo decide she could help Bailey by taking on some surgeries while also continuing her OB/GYN residency.[105] When they had sex and Todd stayed over for the first time, Todd woke up Luna when he sang during his orgasm. The next morning, Todd walked Jo and Luna all the way to the door of the hospital, holding an umbrella to keep them dry. He later visited the hospital to bring Jo a bear, but she said it wasn't working for her and ended things between them. He handed the bear to a nearby custodian and left the hospital.[106]

Friendships[]

Levi Schmitt[]

Jo had a one-night stand with Levi after he came to the bar to apologize to her.[107]

He later returned her badge to her, which embarrassed her. When he came to her later about a potential donor he had found, she took the case from him, upsetting him.[108]

After finding out from Olivia Jankovic that Alex had had syphilis in the past, he was worried he should get himself checked. Jo assured him she didn't have syphilis.[109]

After Levi came out as gay and after he broke up with Nico and Jo was left by Alex she invited Levi to move in with her.[110] The two established a close friendship.[111]

Stephanie Edwards[]

Jo and Stephanie had a strong friendship that developed throughout their residency, and were there for each other through their hardest times. Jo helped Stephanie get through Jackson leaving her for April, and Stephanie helped Jo when Alex and Jo broke up. Jo was devastated when Stephanie quit her job after the hospital fire. She attempted to fill the hole Stephanie left with Ben Warren.

Meredith Grey[]

When Meredith was publishing her abdominal wall transplant, she wanted to put Jo's name on the paper, but she also needed a picture, and Jo couldn't give a picture because then Paul would find her, so she asked Meredith to take her name off of the article. From that point on, Meredith was very protective of Jo and was even nice to her when Alex asked. Then when Paul surprised Jo at the hospital, Meredith was there to comfort her and to keep her safe from Paul. She comforted her by saying "You're Jo Wilson. I know exactly who you are." Meredith kept Alex from Paul, so Alex didn't kill him, and Meredith sat with Jo while she was signing the divorce papers. She also protected her when Paul came back and was threatening Jo for talking to Jenny, Meredith "called security" even though the phones weren't working. After that, when Meredith was dealing with the mini spleens in Judy Kemp, Jo wished that a mini-spleen situation would happen for a useful organ, which gave Meredith the idea for her contest entry: mini livers. Since Jo helped find an important piece, she put Jo as her partner for the contest, and they created their mini livers together. After Jo's return to the hospital, Meredith has taken on a sisterly role to Jo, helping her out whenever she needs help.

Career[]

Dr. Wilson graduated cum laude from Princeton University and Harvard Medical School. She obtained a spot at the most wanted residency-match, Seattle Grace Mercy West Hospital's surgical program.

Dr. Wilson was named by Meredith Grey as the most promising intern and was thus awarded the first surgery of the rotation, which is in fact given to interns they think will fail. As expected, she did fail to complete the surgery and while crying about it, Dr. Owen Hunt informed her that it was an exercise meant to be a learning experience. The surgery is "designed" for the chosen intern to fail to set an example for the other interns.

When Richard Webber asked Meredith to choose one of the residents to assist with the surgery on him, Jo Wilson was selected.

After assisting Dr. Torres in a surgery, Jo was caught in the backlash as Callie was sued for malpractice.

When a patient in the E.R. broke his arm due to a tetanic contraction, Jo scrubbed in with Callie on his fracture repair. She discovered a love of ortho and has since been scrubbing in with Callie often.

During Jo's fifth-year of residency, she has been chosen as Chief Resident. Since Callie's departure, she has been showing an interest in general surgery and has been scrubbing in with Meredith often. Her interest in general surgery has also led her to closely work with Meredith in the Grey Sloan Surgical Innovation Contest.

Towards the end of her fifth-year, MassGen offered Jo a minimally-invasive surgery fellowship. Meredith was also ready to offer her a general surgery attending position at Grey Sloan.[112] Ultimately, she declined MassGen's offer and decided to stay in Seattle to become a Surgical Innovation Fellow.

After her time at the psychiatric hospital, Jo returned to Grey Sloan and became an attending general surgeon.[113] She showed excellent skills in the absence of Meredith and became one of the highest-regarded general surgeons of the hospital. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Jo discovered the joy of OB/GYN and began taking steps to change specialties. Because she received special dispensation from Chief Bailey's recommendation due to already having completed a surgical residency, she did not have to repeat the first intern year and is a second-year of her OB/GYN residency at the time of her transition.[114]

Notes and Trivia[]

  • Jo once dressed up as Tinkerbell for Halloween.[115]
  • Jo frequently used Heather's deodorant without telling her.[116]
  • Jo initially believed her mother left her at a fire station at two weeks old[117], but her birth mother would later claim she dropped her off when she was five days old.[118]
  • There is a timeline discrepancy regarding how long Jo's residency is, as she begins her fellowship in 2018, six years after she began her internship.
  • She is allergic to wool.[119]
  • As a teenager, Jo lived in her car.[120]
  • Jo is very good at math.[121]
  • Her screensaver is a picture of the Catherine Fox Award.[source?]
  • She hates cats and beaches.[122]
  • Jo sends out her laundry.[123]
  • Jo has been in jail before, and fears that if she loses her job as a doctor she will end up there again.[124]
  • She won $1000 from Alex after betting on Shane to win when he was playing ping pong with Derek Shepherd for his rehab. She used the money to buy him a couch.[125]
  • When Jo gets nervous, she gets hives and can't eat or she will throw up.[126]
  • Jo kept a gun under the bed where she and Alex slept.[127]
  • She stole 5 cars when she was younger.[128]
  • Although a majority of her surgical residency was spent rotating in pediatric surgery, Jo showed a keen interest in orthopedic surgery.[129] This interest faded when Callie left and Jo has since switched to OB/GYN.[130]
  • She can cry on cue.[131]
  • She's good at writing dirty text messages.[132]
  • Jo once helped her old boyfriend rob a grocery store.[133]
  • She once lived in Connecticut.[134]
  • She is the second or third character to change her name after getting married, following Addison Forbes Montgomery and possibly Callie Torres. Callie was often referred to as Callie O'Malley, but it was never confirmed if she officially changed her name.
  • She doesn't like carrot cake.[135]
  • She hates party planning.[136]
  • She loves macaroni & cheese from a box.[137]
  • After she became an attending, she chose to use a light blue scrub cap with a hexagonal pattern.[138]
  • She doesn't understand the stock market.[139]
  • She loves salt & vinegar chips from the vending machine on the second floor of the hospital.[140]
  • She is a fan of a show called Ready, Set, Globe.[140]
  • She doesn't follow sports, as she mixes up the Seattle Mariners with the Seattle Seahawks.[141]
  • She has "Disney Princess eyes" and "a heart-stopping smile".[142]

Gallery[]

A more complete gallery with pictures of Jo Wilson can be found here.

Notable Episodes[]

These episodes are Jo-centric or are otherwise very informative about her life.

Memorable Quotes[]

Jo: You have a nice smile.
Callie: Thanks.
Jo: And, uh... just beautiful... eyes. You know, if you want to dra ... grab a drink later or... Okay. I know this Mexican place...
Callie: Okay, okay, okay, you're flirting with me, which is really sweet or would be really sweet if you were into ladies, but I'm guessing that you're not a lady lover, 'cause you also look terrified that I might say yes. You're poking a bear, a very horny bear. And what would you do if the bear said yes? And there you'd be, trading sexual favors for... I don't know what it is you want from me, so... you're gonna have to tell me.
Jo: I was wondering if it would be possible to scrub in on your next surgery.
Callie: Okay, A, never trade sex for scrubbing in because that's just skanky. Save it for actually getting to cut. And B, you're giving coffee to the wrong person.[143]

Alex: Why aren't you in the tunnels? Interns always hang out in the tunnels. This place smells like fish. Look, I don't know what your deal is, but you can't go around assaulting patients.
Jo: She's abandoning her baby.
Alex: Then let the cops handle it. It's not your job, princess.
Jo: Stop calling me princess! My mother left me at a fire station when I was two weeks old. I got bumped around foster homes 'til I was 16, when I took matters into my own hands and started living out of a car. I parked it behind the gym of my high school so I could sneak in and use the showers before class. My home-ec teacher, Ms. Schmidt, she let me do my laundry there for free. And, yeah, I got into good schools because I worked my ass off. And when I walked across that stage at graduation, I didn't have a cheering section filled with my richy-rich family. I had one person, Ms. Schmidt. That's it. She's the one who gave me this watch when I got the job. Her son works for the company.[144]

Appearances[]


References[]

  1. Do You Believe in Magic, 9x22
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Puzzle With a Piece Missing, 11x02
  3. Family Affair, 12x24
  4. Going, Going, Gone, 9x01
  5. Love the One You're With, 9x03
  6. Love Turns You Upside Down, 9x08
  7. Run, Baby, Run, 9x09
  8. Things We Said Today, 9x10
  9. This is Why We Fight, 9x16
  10. Idle Hands, 9x18
  11. Sleeping Monster, 9x21
  12. Readiness is All, 9x23
  13. Perfect Storm, 9x24
  14. Seal Our Fate, 10x01
  15. I Want You With Me, 10x02
  16. Everybody's Crying Mercy, 10x03
  17. Puttin' on the Ritz, 10x04
  18. I Bet It Stung, 10x05
  19. Map of You, 10x06
  20. Man on the Moon, 10x11
  21. Get Up, Stand Up, 10x12
  22. Take It Back, 10x13
  23. Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word, 10x09
  24. You've Got to Hide Your Love Away, 10x14
  25. Throwing it All Away, 10x15
  26. We Gotta Get Out of This Place, 10x16
  27. You've Got to Hide Your Love Away, 10x14
  28. We Gotta Get Out of This Place, 10x16
  29. Go It Alone, 10x20
  30. We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together, 10x22
  31. You Be Illin', 10x18
  32. I'm Winning, 10x19
  33. Change of Heart, 10x21
  34. Everything I Try to Do, Nothing Seems to Turn Out Right, 10x23
  35. Out of Nowhere, 14x08
  36. 1-800-799-7233, 14x09
  37. 1-800-799-7233, 14x09
  38. Personal Jesus, 14x10
  39. With a Wonder and a Wild Desire, 15x01
  40. Broken Together, 15x02
  41. Gut Feeling, 15x03
  42. Momma Knows Best, 15x04
  43. Everyday Angel, 15x05
  44. Flowers Grow Out of My Grave, 15x06
  45. Blowin' in the Wind, 15x08
  46. Shelter from the Storm, 15x09
  47. Help, I'm Alive, 15x10
  48. Girlfriend in a Coma, 15x12
  49. I Walk the Line, 15x13
  50. I Want a New Drug, 15x14
  51. We Didn't Start the Fire, 15x15
  52. Blood and Water, 15x16
  53. And Dream of Sheep, 15x17
  54. Jump Into the Fog, 15x25
  55. Silent All These Years, 15x19
  56. Add It Up, 15x18
  57. Silent All These Years, 15x19
  58. The Whole Package, 15x20
  59. Head Over High Heels, 15x22
  60. What I Did for Love, 15x23
  61. Drawn to the Blood, 15x24
  62. Jump Into the Fog, 15x25
  63. Nothing Left to Cling To, 16x01
  64. Breathe Again, 16x05
  65. Nothing Left to Cling To, 16x01
  66. Breathe Again, 16x05
  67. Nothing Left to Cling To, 16x01
  68. Back in the Saddle, 16x02
  69. Reunited, 16x03
  70. It's Raining Men, 16x04
  71. Breathe Again, 16x05
  72. Whistlin' Past the Graveyard, 16x06
  73. My Shot, 16x08
  74. Let's All Go to the Bar, 16x09
  75. Help Me Through the Night, 16x10
  76. A Hard Pill to Swallow, 16x11
  77. Save the Last Dance for Me, 16x13
  78. A Diagnosis, 16x14
  79. Snowblind, 16x15
  80. Leave a Light On, 16x16
  81. Life on Mars?, 16x17
  82. Give a Little Bit, 16x18
  83. Sing It Again, 16x20
  84. Put on a Happy Face, 16x21
  85. All Tomorrow's Parties, 17x01
  86. All Tomorrow's Parties, 17x01
  87. The Center Won't Hold, 17x02
  88. You'll Never Walk Alone, 17x04
  89. My Happy Ending, 17x03
  90. You'll Never Walk Alone, 17x04
  91. Old Scars, Future Hearts, 14x15
  92. 1-800-799-7233, 14x09
  93. Personal Jesus, 14x10
  94. Readiness is All, 9x23
  95. Love the One You're With, 9x03
  96. None of Your Business, 13x12
  97. Go Big or Go Home, 14x03
  98. Beautiful Dreamer, 14x19
  99. Fight For Your Mind, 14x22
  100. All of Me, 14x24
  101. Whistlin' Past the Graveyard, 16x06
  102. Leave a Light On, 16x16
  103. Put the Squeeze On Me, 18x13
  104. Road Trippin', 18x14
  105. Should I Stay or Should I Go, 18x16
  106. Out for Blood, 18x19
  107. Break Down the House, 14x01
  108. Get Off on the Pain, 14x02
  109. Bad Reputation, 14x21
  110. Love of My Life, 16x19
  111. Sing It Again, 16x20
  112. All of Me, 14x24
  113. Back in the Saddle, 16x02
  114. Good as Hell, 17x13
  115. Thriller, 10x07
  116. Seal Our Fate, 10x01
  117. Love Turns You Upside Down, 9x08
  118. Silent All These Years, 15x19
  119. Man on the Moon, 10x11
  120. Love Turns You Upside Down, 09x08
  121. The Face of Change, 9×14
  122. I'm Winning, 10x19
  123. I'm Winning, 10x19
  124. We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together, 10x22
  125. The End is the Beginning is the End, 9x11
  126. Everything I Try to Do, Nothing Seems to Turn Out Right, 10x23
  127. Trigger Happy, 12x20
  128. Where Do We Go From Here, 11x09
  129. I'm Winning, 10x19
  130. Good as Hell, 17x13
  131. Things We Said Today, 9x10
  132. It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding), 12x19
  133. You Can Look (But You'd Better Not Touch), 13x10
  134. Old Scars, Future Hearts, 14x15
  135. Cold as Ice, 14x23
  136. Bad Reputation , 14x21
  137. Put on a Happy Face, 16x21
  138. Gut Feeling, 15x03
  139. It's All Too Much, 17x08
  140. 140.0 140.1 Put the Squeeze On Me, 18x13
  141. All Star, 19x08
  142. Ready to Run, 19x18
  143. Love the One You're With, 9x03
  144. Love Turns You Upside Down, 9x08
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