Grey's Anatomy: Kim Raver Loves When Fans Hate On Teddy

While plenty of successful shows get their time in the sun, few get the opportunity to run for as long as "Grey's Anatomy." The hit ABC medical drama is currently airing Season 19, and it's currently doing so without most of the earliest cast members, including central protagonist Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo).

However, Theodora "Teddy" Altman (Kim Raver) has also made her valiant return to "Grey's Anatomy." While the character initially left the Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital at the tail end of Season 8, she returned in Season 14 to reinvigorate the medical team and dazzle them with her joyful disposition.

Still, not everyone is crazy about Teddy as the Chief of Surgery. After she got into a heated love triangle with Owen and Tom in Season 16, many fans turned on the character and judged her harshly. Speaking to Awards Radar, though, Raver said that she thinks it's great when fans rip on Teddy. "I love it. I love when they're upset," Raver said. "Not that I want them upset, but that means that we're doing our job. We're not here to be liked."

In fact, Kim Raver said explicitly that this is why she likes being a part of "Grey's Anatomy," as the characters are flawed and sometimes make errors of judgment, just like in reality. "Another thing that is Shonda Rhimes is that we're human, we're flawed, we make mistakes," Raver explained. "We do, as humans, so that's what we want to see on the screen."

Raver is definitely onto something here. While fans may want comfort and stability in their real-life relationships, many viewers tune into shows like "Grey's Anatomy" to be caught up in all of the drama. Love triangles and will-they-won't-they situations are just a natural part of that storytelling structure, and "Grey's" wouldn't be "Grey's" without it.

"So when people are, you know, shouting 'why is she cheating on [him],' like, yeah that's messed up, that is some messed up stuff," she admitted. All the same, Raver wants fans to be invested in her character's story, so she doesn't mind the hate that Teddy gets. "Then they're on the journey with me to figure out how to get on a better path and be a better person," Raver concluded.