Richard Webber - Character

During their residency at Seattle Grace, he had an affair with Meredith Grey's mother, Ellis Grey, although both were married. Although Ellis left her husband, Richard could not bring himself to leave his wife, Adele (he would learn decades later, however, that Adele had known about the affair all along and stayed with him anyway). He confessed in a later episode that he ended the affair because he believed that Ellis deserved better and that he had too much baggage. After completing his residency, Richard left Seattle Grace to complete his fellowship.

Adele asked him to retire, forcing him to choose between his career or their marriage. He tried to skirt around it, but Adele, tired of waiting, made her choice and left him. He moved out and was sleeping in his office for a short time, but now has a room at the same hotel as Callie Torres-O'Malley. Since learning of Ellis's illness, Richard had been visiting her regularly, but upon deciding to attempt a reconciliation with Adele realized that he could no longer continue his emotional affair with Ellis. Richard had planned to retire and recommend Preston Burke as his successor, but after the secret of Burke's tremor and cover-up came out, that plan was put to a stand-still. Nevertheless, he has told the hospital board of his retirement and has yet to name his successor; Derek Shepherd, Preston, Addison Montgomery, and Mark Sloan all eagerly clamouring for the post. He attempts to patch things with his wife, but is stunned to find out that she has moved on, forcing him and his wife to get a divorce. Shortly after that to the amusement of male attendings Derek, Mark and Burke, Richard dyed his hair in order to get back into the dating scene. However, Addision quickly leaped to his defense after being appalled at their insensitivity toward Richard, and ended up exposing all their character flaws in turn.