‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Star Kelly McCreary Slams Media On Instagram After Being Confused With Co-Star Jerrika Hinton

For the last time — Kelly McCreary and Jerrika Hinton are not the same person.

That’s the message the “Grey’s Anatomy” star, who plays Dr. Maggie Pierce on the series, sent out to fans and the media in an Instagram post on Monday. The post featured a photo of McCreary taken during a party hosted by Entertainment Weekly on Friday, Sept. 16. The original photo caption mistakenly identified the Wisconsin native as Hinton, 34 — something that McCreary says happens all too often.

In the caption she explained that she “had the best time at the EW party,” but could not overlook the mix up. She went on to praise Hinton, calling her “a beautiful lady, inside and out, with talent for days,” but revealed that she had a sinking feeling that this wouldn’t be happening if they were both white. McCreary called the confusion “the careless conflation of two black actresses,” urging followers and media persons to make themselves aware of their privilege and biases they may be unaware of.

If you don’t remember her face now, you will after the Season 13 premiere of “Grey’s Anatomy.” Much of the premiere will reportedly revolve around the relationship between McCreary’s character and half-sister Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo). According to ABC, Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital will be sent into a tailspin after one of their own — DeLuca (Giacoma Gianniotti) — is admitted to the hospital with serious injuries. Photos from the set show confrontations between Meredith and Maggie and Meredith and Dr. Richard Webber (James Pickins Jr.), which the network claims are linked. She is reportedly harboring a secret that threatens her relationship with Maggie and Dr. Alex Karev (Justin Chambers) — who is responsible for DeLuca’s injuries. It remains unclear what that secret is, but it must be serious if Richard’s involved.

The drama will continue for Maggie in episode 2. As was previously reported, the romance between Meredith and Dr. Nathan Riggs (Martin Henderson) may drive a wedge between her and Meredith. During an August interview with TV Guide, McCreary opened up about the feud, telling the publication that it’s not the fact that Meredith and Riggs are a couple that bothers her, but rather the way in which they went about it. Maggie attempted to face the issue head on during Season 12, sharing her feelings for Riggs with her half sibling during the wedding of doctors Owen Hunt (Kevin McKidd) and Amelia Shepherd (Caterina Scorsone), but was ignored.

“One of the things that we know about Maggie is that she is really a stickler for honesty and the truth,” she said. “In her first season, she really holds it against Richard that he didn’t tell her [he was her father] right away, that he withheld the truth for any length of time. To me, that’s an indication of how we can expect Maggie to feel about any lack of honesty, any lack of full transparency and disclosure in a relationship — especially with somebody that she trusts and, more than trusts, really relies upon as much as Meredith.”

“Grey’s Anatomy” kicks off Season 13 on Thursday, Sept. 22, at 8 p.m. EDT on ABC.