The Most-Hated Grey's Anatomy Character Ever

Any ranking of Grey's Anatomy characters is going to be controversial, given that the crew on the ABC drama is as diverse and multi-layered as its viewership, which remains just as dedicated as ever. Over the course of 16 seasons, dozens of doctors and interns have come and gone from Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital. Some left more dramatically than others, but each with their own personalities and backstories that resonate with fans differently.

Someone's beloved doc might grate on the nerves of another fan who just can't understand their choices, which can make it pretty difficult to take a stand on who the absolute worst Grey's Anatomy character really is. But that doesn't mean it's not possible to make a good-faith attempt to narrow it down. 

Especially now that there are only three (Meredith Grey, Miranda Bailey, and Richard Webber) of the original nine Grey's characters left, following Justin Chambers' departure from the series. Like his character Alex Karev, many other fan-favorites are unlikely to return, whether because of behind-the-scenes controversy or they died in one of the many, many traumatic situations creator Shonda Rhimes and showrunner Krista Vernoff brought to life on-screen. 

All of which makes it a little easier to start to think about a definitive ranking of who is the worst Grey's character ever.

Most Grey's Anatomy fans think of the characters like family, and just like your own family members, sometimes they drive you a little nuts. Currently, Teddy Altman and Amelia Shepherd are in the running for being the worst characters on the show in 2020, given their seemingly endless love triangle with Owen Hunt and questionable decisions. Both women seem to find it impossible to make up their mind about what they want from their relationships with Owen and tend to do everything in their power to ruin it. 

They're also just incredibly boring, which makes their awfulness even worse. They don't even bring any interesting drama on a show that is All. About. Drama.

That cannot be said of other most-hated characters in Grey's Anatomy history, though. In the past, April Kepner, Arizona Robbins, Eliza Minnick, and Preston Burke have also rightfully been the object of fans' disgust because of their actions on the show. April ran out on her baby and Jackson in Seasons 13 and 14. Arizona was awful to Callie in the wake of the Season 11 plane crash, and then cheated on her wife... with Eliza Minnick, who broke up one of television's greatest romances. (Never forgive!) And Burke, well, Burke was always insufferable.

No ranking of the worst Grey's Anatomy characters would be complete without mentioning Izzie Stevens, who is definitely the runner-up. As an original cast member, Katherine Heigl's character had a lot time to make so many dumb choices that hurt others before the show leaving in Season 6. 

Izzie teased George O'Malley with romance, ran away from Alex when he finally let his guard down and married her, and spent the better half of a season having sex with the ghost of her ex-boyfriend, Denny — which still might be the most perplexing plot line in television history.

But her biggest sin is that in Season 16 Alex left his fan-favorite wife Jo for Izzie, running away to Iowa to be with her and the twins she had with their frozen embryos, so we can all blame her for his absence. It takes a certain kind of terrible to have a negative impact on a television show when you're not even on it anymore. Throw in her manic baking and holiday decorating habits and yeah... she's not someone you'd want to hang out with in real life.

While Izzie Stevens may have her flaws, there's truly just one character that most sensible fans can agree is downright terrible... and his name is Dr. Owen Hunt. Owen, played by Kevin McKidd, came to Grey's Anatomy in Season 5, and ever since that fateful arrival, he's proven over and again that he's straight garbage. 

At first, he was mildly sympathetic, suffering from PTSD after serving as a trauma surgeon in Iraq. But after almost strangling Cristina Yang during a night terror, he fought her about getting treatment. This was the first indication of his stubbornness, which only gets more insufferable season after season. Owen later made Yang feel guilty about not wanting to have a child with him, despite the fact that the character expressed over and over again during her time on the show that she never wanted to be a mother. 

He consistently plays the victim in his relationships, stringing Teddy along for a literal decade before finally declaring his love to her in Germany on a whim, leaving her heartbroken and eventually pregnant after a one-night stand. While Amelia's brain tumor and substance misuse issues didn't necessarily make her an easy person to be married to, he still uses her illnesses against her when he wants to make her feel bad during a fight.

Owen Hunt is the definition of toxic masculinity, plain and simple. He rages when he can't get what he wants, even over an open patient in the operating room, which is flat-out dangerous. (Seriously, how has someone not reported him to HR yet?) Owen always seems to be yelling and bossing people around, refusing to use an inside voice, including when grieving families are around. And most recently, he broke the law and violated a woman's civil rights by denying her an abortion, just because he was mad that Amelia was pregnant with Link's baby after ending her and Owen's marriage because she didn't want children.

Fans consistently beg for Owen to be killed off in the name of other more likable characters, and to be honest, the show wouldn't really suffer in his absence. Kevin McKidd doesn't just act on the show, he's been writing and directing episodes since 2011. So it's not like he would have to leave the Grey's Anatomy universe entirely if Owen were to somehow meet a tragic fate or be written off.

Over the years, it's been easy to get frustrated with the main characters, including Ellen Pompeo's lead character, Meredith Grey. But Owen has been problematic and awful since day one, and for that consistency alone, he's most definitely the worst Grey's Anatomy character ever. It's time for him to move on.