Grey’s Anatomy shocked its fans today when it was announced that stars Jessica Capshaw and Sarah Drew were being let go from the series. And the actresses have already released their initial reactions.

In a shocking decision, long time Grey’s Anatomy stars Jessica Capshaw and Sarah Drew will be exiting the series – but not by their own decision, according to Deadline.

Reportedly, the decision was made based on the show’s new creative direction that showrunner Krista Vernoff has been working on since taking over this season.

She released a statement on the decision which explains, “As writers, our job is to follow the stories where they want to go and sometimes that means saying goodbye to characters we love. It has been a joy and a privilege to work with these phenomenally talented actresses.”

Although the characters played by Jessica Capshaw and Sarah Drew have been on the show for many years they are not part of the original cast. Jessica Capshaw first began playing Arizona in season 5, and Sarah Drew began playing April in season 6. And have become fan favorites since then.

This move is sure to be a big blow to the Grey’s Anatomy fandom. For what it’s worth, it sounds like the actress are taking the news gracefully and have each released statements online. It’s not clear when or how the characters will be written out yet.

Read Jessica Capshaw and Sarah Drew’s reactions below:

Do you think ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ is making a mistake letting Jessica Capshaw and Sarah Drew go?