Grey’s Anatomy fans met Camilla Luddington’s Jo Wilson way back in Season 9, and I think it’s fair to say her love life has been pretty traumatic — from her abusive ex-husband Paul Stadler to Alex Karev informing her via letter that he had reunited with Izzie Stevens. These days, however, she’s settled down with her longtime best friend Atticus Lincoln, and it’s lovely to see her in a safe, reliable marriage (assuming Link didn’t die in that finale explosion). I have to admit, though, I wasn’t always rooting for JoLink.
As we approach the Grey’s Anatomy Season 22 premiere — which hits the 2025 TV schedule on October 9 — I’m ready to admit I was wrong about wanting Jo and Link (Chris Carmack) to remain platonic friends. Let’s take a look back at their friends-to-lovers arc, why I fought their romance so hard and what ultimately changed my mind.
Jo And Link Were Established As Platonic Friends In Season 15
Hulu subscription or Netflix subscription) that he crossed paths with Jo at the hospital. Fresh off their honeymoon, Alex (Justin Chambers) and Jo were waiting for an elevator when she heard her old buddy’s voice and jumped, screaming, into his arms.
get out of bed for days, Link showed up with chicken soup, helped with her laundry and sat with her. He was also there for her when Alex left, offering to sit with her when she read the letter and then asking if she wanted space or to go day-drinking afterward.
Jo supported him through multiple breakups, too, including giving him a place to stay after Caterina Scorsone’s Amelia rejected his proposal. And in exactly zero of these situations was it suggested that there were any romantic feelings — just friends being concerned for one another.
It Was Unnecessary For Grey’s Anatomy To Retcon Link’s Crush On Jo
The friendship between Jo and Link was so beautiful, why would Grey’s Anatomy want to mess with it? Because Grey’s Anatomy hates platonic love.
In Season 18’s “Today Was a Fairytale,” everything changed between Link and Jo when he told her he’d had a huge crush on her back when they worked at Jimmy’s Crab Shack. At first she seemed weirded out by his casual admission, but then it was clear that she was looking at him through a new lens. (Too bad Link was still in love with Amelia.)
It would be one thing if Link started to see Jo differently over time, but retconning their friendship to suggest Link had always had feelings for her doesn’t make any sense, because nothing in Chris Carmack’s performance or Link’s actions toward Jo suggested that to be the case.
Link’s Confession Kicked Off A Season And A Half Of Bad Communication
Of course at that point, it was a foregone conclusion that Jo and Link would end up taking their friendship to the next level. They slept together in Season 18’s “No Time to Die” (a rebound for Link, who was still crying over Amelia), and that nearly broke them when they both wrongly assumed what the hookup meant for the other.
Camilla Luddington has teased “hard moments” ahead, while Chris Carmack is having a little too much fun with the speculation. So before we find out if newlywed Jo lost her best friend and husband and has to raise 3-4 kids alone (assuming Amelia would take Scout most of the time), I would like the record to show that I am admitting I was wrong about JoLink. The friendship that I was so protective of is exactly why they make such a good couple.
Tune in to see if Link survived the blast and what’s next for these two when Season 22 premieres at 10 p.m. ET Thursday, October 9, on ABC and streaming the next day on Hulu.