49 Facts About Alex Karev

Alex Karev had a troubled childhood shaped by his mother's mental illness and his father's frequent absences and violent behavior.

Alex Karev took up wrestling in high school as a way to defend himself and his mother, eventually confronting his father, leading to his father's permanent absence.

Alex Karev has two younger siblings, Aaron and Amber, and the three were placed in foster care for five years.

Alex Karev taunted Izzie after discovering she had worked as a lingerie model, but eventually, the two formed a friendship.

Alex Karev confided in Izzie about his father's heroin addiction and abusive behavior, revealing his motivations for becoming a wrestler to protect his mother.

Later, Alex Karev experienced erectile dysfunction with Izzie, leading him to sleep with Olivia.

Alex Karev helps Izzie recover from Denny's death and attempts to rekindle their relationship, but Izzie pulls away, still grieving her loss.

Alex Karev spends time working with neonatal surgeon Dr Addison Montgomery, and although he later shifts to working with plastic surgeon Dr Mark Sloan, his interest returns to Addison's specialty.

Alex Karev helps her rediscover her identity, but ultimately turns her down after realizing she is married, feeling unworthy of her.

Alex Karev has a brief relationship with intern Lexie Grey, but chooses Rebecca when she tells him she is pregnant.

However, after Rebecca's suicide attempt, Izzie convinces Alex Karev to seek psychiatric help for her, as she begins hallucinating about the pregnancy.

Izzie reveals that her cancer is in remission, and though Alex Karev expresses happiness for her, he tells her that he deserves someone who will stay.

At this point in his career, Alex Karev realizes that his true calling is in pediatrics rather than plastics, which he had previously pursued.

Alex Karev starts a relationship with Dr Lucy Fields, an OB-GYN attending, after she kisses him.

However, their relationship is short-lived as Alex Karev's ambition leads him to sabotage Meredith's Alzheimer's clinical trial in an attempt to secure the position of Chief Resident.

Alex Karev passes the boards, and Dr Webber informs him that Johns Hopkins Hospital, the top program in the country, has been impressed with him and created a position for him in pediatric surgery, which Alex accepts.

However, when Arizona yells at him and takes his place on a plane that later crashes, Alex Karev decides to stay at Seattle Grace, realizing his loyalty to his colleagues.

Alex Karev extends his stay at Seattle Grace until a replacement for Arizona is found.

When he learns that the replacement would send the exchange program to UCLA, Alex Karev decides to remain at Seattle Grace permanently.

Alex Karev buys Meredith's old house, where he lives with Cristina.

Alex Karev admits his love for Jo, and they become a couple.

Alex Karev's estranged father, Jimmy, reappears in Alex Karev's life when he is admitted to the ER as a patient.

Unaware that Alex Karev is his son, Jimmy confides in him about the family he abandoned years ago.

Alex Karev later confronts Ross, punching him, and is comforted by Meredith.

However, Alex Karev soon realizes he is unhappy in the private practice setting and wishes to return full-time to Grey Sloan Memorial.

Alex Karev is later fired by Dr Lebackes after Dr Maggie Pierce accidentally reveals Alex Karev's plans to leave.

Alex Karev is rehired at Grey Sloan as a full-time attending pediatric surgeon and takes over Arizona's position when she begins a fellowship with Dr Nicole Herman.

When Derek dies and Meredith disappears without telling anyone, Alex Karev is hurt by her actions and calls her every day, eventually receiving a call back, where she reassures him that she is okay.

Alex Karev is by Meredith's side when she gives birth to her third child, Ellis Shepherd, as he is her emergency contact.

Alex Karev later asks to move back into her old house with him, and Alex agrees, selling the house back to her.

Alex Karev is frustrated by Jo's continued refusal to marry him and storms out, leaving the relationship in an uncertain state.

Alex Karev then decides that despite Jo's reluctance to marry him, he still loves her and goes back to their loft, only to find Jo intoxicated and Andrew DeLuca on top of her.

Misinterpreting the situation, Alex Karev believes Deluca is taking advantage of Jo and brutally beats him.

Alex Karev lies, claiming he found Deluca in that state, but both Ben Warren and Meredith quickly suspect the truth.

Alex Karev reveals that her husband was abusive, and she had run away, changing her name to Jo Wilson to escape him.

Unexpectedly, Deluca drops all charges against Alex Karev, allowing him to return to work.

Alex Karev then reveals that he found her abusive husband but assures her that he didn't harm him, which relieves Jo and strengthens her trust in Alex.

Encouraged, Jo decides to file for divorce from her husband, and she and Alex Karev restart their relationship.

In episode seven, Alex Karev is momentarily taken aback when he encounters a pregnant woman who resembles Izzie, causing him to stammer.

In episode twenty-two, Alex Karev learns that his mother has not been cashing the checks he's been sending her.

Meanwhile, Dr Bailey takes a sabbatical, and Alex Karev is appointed as the interim Chief of Grey-Sloan for six months.

Alex Karev later learns about her struggles with mental health and supports her as she checks into rehab for a month.

Alex Karev reached out to her to see if she would support Meredith during the proceedings.

Alex Karev, portrayed by Justin Chambers, was not originally included in the pilot episode of Grey's Anatomy, which was filmed in March 2004.

Alex Karev gets to be complex in ways most characters don't because even though he's got a moral code, his moral code is totally twisted and dark.

Justin Chambers, who portrayed Alex Karev, commented on his character's struggle to express his feelings, particularly in the early stages of their relationship, stating that Alex Karev finds it difficult to say "I love you".

In Season 9, Alex Karev develops a close friendship with intern Jo Wilson, which turns into a romantic relationship by Season 10.

Simon pointed out that Alex Karev begins the show as an "arrogant, obnoxious intern," who often pushes away those who care about him.

Alex Karev was part of the ensemble cast nominated for the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series from 2006 to 2008, with a victory in 2007.