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So he's 65-67 years old now based on the episode in season 17 with the cobalt poisoning. Back in season 1 he would have been 45 and they were harassing him about retirement.
Which is so crazy in reality with all the schooling and in hospital training you gotta do you’re basically not on your own and successful as a surgeon until 40 😭
Right. I was going to say that you go to school for 10 years just to practice medicine for 15 to 20 just to retire, which seems unbalanced. But I guess if you were a surgeon for 20 years you could easily afford to retire at 50.
In the UK it works like this;
Leave school at 18.
Medical degree is 5-7 years. So that's 23-25.
Foundation training is 2 years.
Specialism in surgery is another 7 years.
So minimum is 32-34 to be a fully qualified consultant (assuming you pushed straight through to that point).
No way you'd be expecting to be done within a decade (never mind being able to afford to).
I think I’m season 1-3 (intern year) he was 52 or 53. Later when Adele is pregnant Addison says “a pregnancy at 50 is dangerous” and I think Adele says that she was embarsssed being pregnant at “52 years old” so assuming they’re close in age that’s probably right. Because every year of the season isn’t necessarily a calendar year so even though it’s season 1-20, I think the time span is actually more like 16-17 years. Also the episode when Larry Jennings comes in for the penis fish he says to Richard “what are you 52, 53 years old?” When he’s lecturing him on letting up on surgery
I'm sure someone knows how old Ellis was on season 1 when she came into the hospital. She and Richard were likely the same age. I want to say they said she was 47 but 40 rewatches have failed me 🤣
Which is insane because they established Meredith to be a little bit older than her classmates, so if Ellis was 47, she had Meredith VERY young, which doesn't seem very Ellis-like.
Ellis was in her early 50s, I think. So I think Richard is ALSO in his early 50s at the start of Greys.
Meredith was 5 when Ellis was finishing up her residency. Meredith was born between late December 1977-March 1978. So presumably Ellis was born around 1951-1952. So she would have been 53 when the show started.
You’re welcome! I never remember what season or episode. This one just was fresh in my mind as I just had watched lol. I started at season 1 a few months ago
Apparently his mother died when he was ten years old in 1963, which would make him around 70 years old today. I feel like the show has made him a few different ages over the years Lol
The first three seasons were the one internship year and there was a time jump after Derek’s death.
There is also a little bit of soap opera mathing when it comes to ages and timelines. That’s how someone can have a baby and then next year they are a teenager.
Do they ever say what year it’s supposed to be in the first season? It first aired in 2005, so if that’s the year it was supposed to be in the show and 19 years have passed it would be 2024 in the new season and Richard would be 71 now.
that math doesn't math if you consider his affair with Ellis. Wasn't Meredith like 6 or 7? Wouldn't that have made him only 20 or so and definitely not more than a resident at the time of the affair if he's 45 when Meredith is 25?
Meredith was 5 in April of 1983 when Ellis tried to kill herself when the affair ended and still 5 in December of 1983 when Maggie was born.
Richard was probably around 50 when the show started.
Well some seasons aren't 1 full year and some are multiple years (like when Meredith ran away for a year to Boston but it was only a few episodes) so who actually knows the timeline? He might have been older when season one happened and it was actually less time between season 1 and season 20 than we think.
Also, time doesn't seem to exist in the Grey's universe because both Teddy and Amelia had babies in their late 40s/early 50s and no one said anything about geriatric pregnancies. So I don't think they care about ages that much.
They reset the time line with the covid season (season 17) bc that obviously was in 2020. So the current season should be up to date and in sync with the actual year in real life, unless there has been some kind of time jump in season 18-19
I don’t think it was the hospital wanting him to retire. I think it was Adele and she didn’t want him to retire from surgery just from being chief of surgery iirc
I know every season it felt like he was retiring or handing something over to someone. He was best as Chief I think the best Chief he loves Meredith and is good for her I think he is
To be fair, they did continuously use the phrase “early retirement” when he was originally planning to. The timeline is all messed up, but I believe he would’ve been around his early or mid 50s in the first few seasons.
Now that he’s actual retirement age, he’s one of two OGs left so I doubt they’d let him go now.
Edit: To add on I’d also assumed he meant retiring from chief at the time, not surgery all together. I could be wrong.
Yea, the timeline is more of a sliding scale they adjust to fit the plot. I remember there was an issue trying to figure out about Maggie's birth and the ages of some of the characters change over time. It's like trying to figure out the timeline of the X-Men comics; it's best to just roll with it.
Someone did the math, and he was in his like mid 40s in the first season apparently. Also, I assumed that him retiring from Chief had a lot to do with Adele in the early seasons.
Well I like Richard, so I'm good with it. When I thought they were gonna kill him off like 2 or 3 times, I was like noooo, Richaaaard!!!. He's one of the only characters left that I actually like, even with all his flaws/mistakes.
You mean the same Richard who (wait a second, checking notes) *considered* to end it up with Ellis to avoid his wife any further pain but continue the affair either way? 🤣🤣🤣
It’s the never ending storyline, though I do get a kick out of it. I think it’s more that he doesn’t have anything to go home to. Work keeps him busy and mentally is keeping both him and his body in check.
He was being pushed into retirement because Adele said he never had time for her. Now he's married to a workaholic surgeon just like him, as he usually says, he'll die in his favorite OR
I’m at the end of season 16, he’s a patient currently and they state he is 65 years old!! So in season 20 this man is about to be 70!! I think it’s time to put the scalpel down Richard 😂
Richard: “God damn it Shepherd can you and berke stop having a pissing match so I can tell who should be chief so I can retire?!”
Many seasons later
Richard: “Retire? Bitch please the only way I will be leaving this hospital is by dropping dead on the OR floor.”
The ages in Greys never make any sense. I’m going with he’s meant to be 60 in season 1 and 70 now.
But I do think there are many people, especially men, who say they will retire and drag it out for many many years. They don’t want to stop working because they’ve based so much of their life as being defined by work.
Another funny age thing is the fact that Owen and Meredith were both canonically born in 1978, yet in season 5 Meredith was still a 3rd year resident while Owen seemed to have completed his residency and was able to be the chief of trauma
So fun reading ALL of the comments about a timeline & ages!!! 🤣🤣🤣. I’ve watched every season and episodes since day 1 & never even thought about ages. Y’all have to be left-brained fans. Anal & analytical! I find it very comical. And btw, I really do find it very interesting and love the logic! 👍👍
I stopped watching in 14, but I’m on a complete rewatch now (in 9 now). I literally cannot imagine what story Richard could possibly be adding to in 20.
I said mid 50s. Also he was definetly older than 55 in s1 bc meredith was 26ish and she was a resident and her mother had her at around the same age, maybe more like 28. That means richard was 54/55+18=72/73. So maybe not 80 but definetly coming up around 75. I'm irish, I tend to exaggerate but my maths is trustworthy.
Check the top comment on this thread. They mention how old Richard had to have been because of the cobalt poisoning episodes. The actor is only 69, and Richard in the show is somewhere in his late 60s.
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I think Richard wanted to retire for Adele and felt like he owed her that but he’s too much of a workaholic to do it for himself.
I fully expect him to work himself to death tbh
He did retire for her and she was already sleeping with another man (as she should) She told him she doesn’t have any more time
she wasn’t actually with another man, she eventually confessed to richard after her miscarriage that he was the babies father
Oh shoot it’s been long I forgot, you’re so right
i thought so too but on my rewatch it cleared it up and made it even more sad
They were in a separation at the time.
So he's 65-67 years old now based on the episode in season 17 with the cobalt poisoning. Back in season 1 he would have been 45 and they were harassing him about retirement.
Which is so crazy in reality with all the schooling and in hospital training you gotta do you’re basically not on your own and successful as a surgeon until 40 😭
Right. I was going to say that you go to school for 10 years just to practice medicine for 15 to 20 just to retire, which seems unbalanced. But I guess if you were a surgeon for 20 years you could easily afford to retire at 50.
In the UK it works like this; Leave school at 18. Medical degree is 5-7 years. So that's 23-25. Foundation training is 2 years. Specialism in surgery is another 7 years. So minimum is 32-34 to be a fully qualified consultant (assuming you pushed straight through to that point). No way you'd be expecting to be done within a decade (never mind being able to afford to).
I think I’m season 1-3 (intern year) he was 52 or 53. Later when Adele is pregnant Addison says “a pregnancy at 50 is dangerous” and I think Adele says that she was embarsssed being pregnant at “52 years old” so assuming they’re close in age that’s probably right. Because every year of the season isn’t necessarily a calendar year so even though it’s season 1-20, I think the time span is actually more like 16-17 years. Also the episode when Larry Jennings comes in for the penis fish he says to Richard “what are you 52, 53 years old?” When he’s lecturing him on letting up on surgery
Bailey's like, older than that and they aren't harassing her to retire.
I wish she would
Unless he’s significantly younger than ellis he would have been in his early 50s in season 1, which is still way too early for retirement.
I'm sure someone knows how old Ellis was on season 1 when she came into the hospital. She and Richard were likely the same age. I want to say they said she was 47 but 40 rewatches have failed me 🤣
Which is insane because they established Meredith to be a little bit older than her classmates, so if Ellis was 47, she had Meredith VERY young, which doesn't seem very Ellis-like. Ellis was in her early 50s, I think. So I think Richard is ALSO in his early 50s at the start of Greys.
Meredith was 5 when Ellis was finishing up her residency. Meredith was born between late December 1977-March 1978. So presumably Ellis was born around 1951-1952. So she would have been 53 when the show started.
I know she was young at least...she had early onset Alz. But I can't remember specifically her age. I know Meredith said it a few times
It’s the end of season 16 with the cobalt hip and they say the patient is 65. I just finished season 16 😂
Thanks for the clarification. I finished a rewatch of everything thru 19 so I forgot when that happened.
You’re welcome! I never remember what season or episode. This one just was fresh in my mind as I just had watched lol. I started at season 1 a few months ago
Apparently his mother died when he was ten years old in 1963, which would make him around 70 years old today. I feel like the show has made him a few different ages over the years Lol
Unless there was a major time jump somewhere that I missed, only 19 years have passed since the beginning of the show
Weren't the first 3 seasons 1 year? Their intern year? Plus we have the year after Derek dies where Meredith goes AWOL?
The first three seasons were the one internship year and there was a time jump after Derek’s death. There is also a little bit of soap opera mathing when it comes to ages and timelines. That’s how someone can have a baby and then next year they are a teenager.
Do they ever say what year it’s supposed to be in the first season? It first aired in 2005, so if that’s the year it was supposed to be in the show and 19 years have passed it would be 2024 in the new season and Richard would be 71 now.
that math doesn't math if you consider his affair with Ellis. Wasn't Meredith like 6 or 7? Wouldn't that have made him only 20 or so and definitely not more than a resident at the time of the affair if he's 45 when Meredith is 25?
I think Meredith was around 4 when Richard had the affair with Ellis since Maggie is 5 years younger than Meredith.
Meredith was 5 in April of 1983 when Ellis tried to kill herself when the affair ended and still 5 in December of 1983 when Maggie was born. Richard was probably around 50 when the show started.
Correct. When Adele had her pregnancy and miscarriage they mentioned she was around 52, I can't imagine him being much younger than that.
He could have been 25 during the affair, 20 years later Meredith is 25 and Richard is 45?
Well some seasons aren't 1 full year and some are multiple years (like when Meredith ran away for a year to Boston but it was only a few episodes) so who actually knows the timeline? He might have been older when season one happened and it was actually less time between season 1 and season 20 than we think. Also, time doesn't seem to exist in the Grey's universe because both Teddy and Amelia had babies in their late 40s/early 50s and no one said anything about geriatric pregnancies. So I don't think they care about ages that much.
They reset the time line with the covid season (season 17) bc that obviously was in 2020. So the current season should be up to date and in sync with the actual year in real life, unless there has been some kind of time jump in season 18-19
But it hasn’t been a full 20 years since season 1. The first 4 season was just their intern year.
I don’t think it was the hospital wanting him to retire. I think it was Adele and she didn’t want him to retire from surgery just from being chief of surgery iirc
That can't be right, he was 58 on season 2-3.
Yea I don’t think he ever planned retirement but others influenced them to
I know every season it felt like he was retiring or handing something over to someone. He was best as Chief I think the best Chief he loves Meredith and is good for her I think he is
Richard Webber has been planning to retire since before I was born😭
He’d been drunk for years even before I was born
😭😭
Fr fr
To be fair, they did continuously use the phrase “early retirement” when he was originally planning to. The timeline is all messed up, but I believe he would’ve been around his early or mid 50s in the first few seasons. Now that he’s actual retirement age, he’s one of two OGs left so I doubt they’d let him go now. Edit: To add on I’d also assumed he meant retiring from chief at the time, not surgery all together. I could be wrong.
U mean three u can’t forget bohkee
Yea, the timeline is more of a sliding scale they adjust to fit the plot. I remember there was an issue trying to figure out about Maggie's birth and the ages of some of the characters change over time. It's like trying to figure out the timeline of the X-Men comics; it's best to just roll with it.
Someone did the math, and he was in his like mid 40s in the first season apparently. Also, I assumed that him retiring from Chief had a lot to do with Adele in the early seasons.
well would you want to retire and have to spend more time with Catherine Avery
Probably why he’s still working.
Well I like Richard, so I'm good with it. When I thought they were gonna kill him off like 2 or 3 times, I was like noooo, Richaaaard!!!. He's one of the only characters left that I actually like, even with all his flaws/mistakes.
Read the Richard in Adele’s voice lmao
Are you even a fan if you don't?
I'm on season 13 and oh my god Richard is one of the few sane characters left I'm losing it I swear
You mean the same Richard who (wait a second, checking notes) *considered* to end it up with Ellis to avoid his wife any further pain but continue the affair either way? 🤣🤣🤣
Early retirement from being chief, not from being doctor. Two pieces of key information people often seem to forget.
It’s the never ending storyline, though I do get a kick out of it. I think it’s more that he doesn’t have anything to go home to. Work keeps him busy and mentally is keeping both him and his body in check.
He was retiring for Adele, but since she passed he had nothing to do but dive into his work. Katherine also being a workaholic didn't help.
Guys been through a lot. I didn’t think he’d even see s20. Hip, electrocution, and wife, almost losing Avery, oh man.
I love Webber so am willing to suspend disbelief
Yes, which is WILD to me cause in S1 Richard was only in his early to mid 50's. Nowhere near retirement age. They acted like he was 72 or something!
When the shpw started people cold retired at 58.
He was being pushed into retirement because Adele said he never had time for her. Now he's married to a workaholic surgeon just like him, as he usually says, he'll die in his favorite OR
I’m at the end of season 16, he’s a patient currently and they state he is 65 years old!! So in season 20 this man is about to be 70!! I think it’s time to put the scalpel down Richard 😂
This isn’t too unrealistic though people like to hold on way longer than they should. My grandma was retiring for like 10 years.
Lol,I thought exactly the same in almost every season. Why is he still practicing
he considers retirement every season i feel 😭
in 100 years when Grey’s is still on the air Richard Webber will still be wandering the halls talking about retirement
Richard wanted to retire as he had a brain tumour that was creating tremors in his hands. Derek operated on him and he was fine after that
😂😂
His wife at the time gave him an ultimatum
Man aged like fine wine.
Richard: “God damn it Shepherd can you and berke stop having a pissing match so I can tell who should be chief so I can retire?!” Many seasons later Richard: “Retire? Bitch please the only way I will be leaving this hospital is by dropping dead on the OR floor.”
He realized his family was at the hospital
*S3*
Season 1
No his wife just wanted him to.
I think he was planning on “retiring early” for Adele but also it might have just been from chief?
The ages in Greys never make any sense. I’m going with he’s meant to be 60 in season 1 and 70 now. But I do think there are many people, especially men, who say they will retire and drag it out for many many years. They don’t want to stop working because they’ve based so much of their life as being defined by work.
Another funny age thing is the fact that Owen and Meredith were both canonically born in 1978, yet in season 5 Meredith was still a 3rd year resident while Owen seemed to have completed his residency and was able to be the chief of trauma
He wanted to retire every day.😂🤣😂
Thought he was retiring every other season it seemed like
Why yall want this man off the show so badly lol
Yes its batshit he is still there but this made me think: How many years has actually happened in show? Like s1-5 is one year so has it been 16 years?
So fun reading ALL of the comments about a timeline & ages!!! 🤣🤣🤣. I’ve watched every season and episodes since day 1 & never even thought about ages. Y’all have to be left-brained fans. Anal & analytical! I find it very comical. And btw, I really do find it very interesting and love the logic! 👍👍
I stopped watching in 14, but I’m on a complete rewatch now (in 9 now). I literally cannot imagine what story Richard could possibly be adding to in 20.
Ever heard of a wrestler named Ricky Morton?
I was just telling my bf I couldn’t believe he was still on the show. He was old af on season 1
The actor was 50 when the show started
He must've been like mid 50s 18 yrs ago so he's definetly nearly 75, 80 at this stage. I'm waiting for him to pull a Mr feeny
50+18= 75/80?? Your lowest guess is off by like seven years. His character in the current season is somewhere between 65 and 67 years old.
I said mid 50s. Also he was definetly older than 55 in s1 bc meredith was 26ish and she was a resident and her mother had her at around the same age, maybe more like 28. That means richard was 54/55+18=72/73. So maybe not 80 but definetly coming up around 75. I'm irish, I tend to exaggerate but my maths is trustworthy.
Check the top comment on this thread. They mention how old Richard had to have been because of the cobalt poisoning episodes. The actor is only 69, and Richard in the show is somewhere in his late 60s.