‘Grey’s Anatomy’: What Happened to DeLuca Before the Season 17 Break?

'Grey's Anatomy' DeLuca is in a tough situation when the show returns. Here's a quick recap of what happened to him before the winter break.

by Rachel Hunt

Published on March 10, 2021

2 min read

What happened to DeLuca on ‘Grey’s Anatomy’?

Grey’s Anatomy Season 16 ended without explaining what happened to DeLuca because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Production was shut down, so the cast and crew did not finish out the season. However, in the spinoff, Station 19, DeLuca’s sister, Carina, told her girlfriend, Maya Bishop (Danielle Savre), about her family history.

“My dad has bipolar I,” Carina told Maya. “And my sweet baby brother has inherited it.”

‘Grey’s Anatomy’ surgeon Andrew DeLuca portrayed by Giacomo Gianniotti | Raymond Liu/ABC via Getty Images

However, when Grey’s Anatomy Season 17 began, the storyline jumped ahead. According to Gianniotti, his character is doing well.

Andrew is “no longer the boy who cried wolf,” Gianniotti told TV Insider. “He’s been taking his medications, eating right, and getting sleep, and is back on track to living a more balanced lifestyle.”

Grey’s Anatomy characters did not believe Andrew DeLuca

In Grey’s Anatomy Season 16, Andrew found Opal (Stephanie Kurtzuba) suspicious when she came into the hospital’s clinic with a distraught teen. The woman claimed to be the teenager’s aunt, but DeLuca did not believe her. He diagnosed the girl with a hernia and pulled Miranda Bailey (Chandra Wilson) out of surgery to attempt to have Opal investigated for human trafficking.

However, not one of the other Grey’s Anatomy characters believed DeLuca. Instead of calling security on Opal, they detained the surgeon. After everything settles down, the other doctors realize that Opal and the teen fled from the hospital. It turned out that Andrew DeLuca was right all along.

The human trafficker is back, and DeLuca is on the chase

In Grey’s Anatomy’s winter finale, DeLuca spotted Opal after she snuck into the hospital to check on her fellow kidnapper. Before she left the parking lot, Andrew and Carina jumped in their car to follow her. However, fans are worried about what might happen when Grey’s Anatomy returns.

“If anyone touches Andrew or Carina, I’m done,” one fan wrote on the YouTube promo. “They are two of the few characters I still care about at this point.”

Many fans are happy to see a scene with the DeLuca siblings. However, they are hoping that the other surgeons apologize to him.

“I swear if every single one of them doesn’t give him a heartfelt apology on how they didn’t believe him because of his mental health,” added another fan. “They better apologize!”