Joe is the owner of the Emerald City Bar, across from the hospital, where the doctors often go for a drink after work.
History
Early Life
He was born and raised in Seattle, Washington.
Meredith and Derek's Meeting
Joe was at the bar the night Derek and Meredith met. He served them their drinks and watched as they talked. ("Time Has Come Today")
Brain Surgery
Joe collapsed one day on the floor of his bar. He walked across the street to the hospital, where he was diagnosed with a basal artery aneurysm. To clip the aneurysm, Derek and Burke planned a stand-still surgery. Joe didn't want the surgery because he was concerned about the cost. He feared he would not be able to keep his bar which was his life. Joe had had his bar for fourteen years. Luckily, George O'Malley was able to convince the Chief to have Joe's surgery funded by donating his body to science and qualifying him for a research grant since he would be briefly "dead", allowing him to keep the bar. ("Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head")
Train Crash
After confessing her love to Derek and asking him to choose her, Meredith went to the bar and asked Joe if he believed Derek would pick her. He was sure Derek would pick her. ("Bring the Pain")
As Meredith waited for Derek and got progressively more drunk, the news of a train crash caused all the doctors to get paged. Joe turned on the news so they could see what had happened. He tried to convince Meredith to stay for a cup of coffee before going to the hospital. Shortly after she left, Derek walked in and Joe broke the news that Meredith had left. ("Into You Like a Train")
Shane Herman
Joe watched as Cristina and Izzie counted up the money they'd made selling tickets to Shane's surgery. ("Something to Talk About")
Thanksgiving
Joe attending Thanksgiving dinner at Meredith's House. He brought along his boyfriend, Walter, whom the doctors had not previously met. He also brought a pie to share. He and Walter stayed despite most of the guests not showing up on time, but eventually had to leave before they came because he had to open the bar. ("Thanks for the Memories")
Christmas
After a long day of surgery, Derek came to the bar, where Joe poured him a drink without even asking what he wanted. ("Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer")
Residents at the Bar/Nurses' Strike
When the residents were at the bar comparing stories to see who was having the worst day, Joe observed and prompted Izzie when it was her turn. He then had to break up a fight that occurred when Nurse Kate poured a drink on Cristina Yang. ("Break on Through")
Meredith and Mark
After visiting her father, Meredith ended up at Joe's to get a drink. Mark came in and sat down next to her. ("Yesterday")
Meredith's Celibacy
When Meredith was trying to be celibate, she came to Joe's, but didn't drink. Instead, she was knitting a sweater. Joe said that she was scaring the customers by knitting. ("The Name of the Game")
Interns' Talking About Denny
When the interns were at the bar, Izzie and Alex exchanged insults. When Izzie called Alex a gynecologist disparagingly, Joe laughed. ("17 Seconds")
Izzie's Grief
When Izzie baked muffins to cope with Denny's death, she brought two baskets of them to the bar for Joe. Addison ate one basket of muffins while she got drunk and at the end of the day, Joe called Addison a cab per her instructions. ("I Am a Tree")
Izzie's Meeting
When Izzie came into the bar to meet with Denny's father, Joe pointed him out to her. ("What I Am")
Camping Trip
Joe and Walter went on a camping trip with several of the male doctors. During the camping trip, he discussed his relationship with Walter with Richard Webber and they bonded over some similarities. Later, when Walter was injured, Joe held his hand while he got stitches. ("Where the Boys Are")
Harold O'Malley's Death
After George's dad died, Alex went to the bar. Joe asked him about Harold and Alex informed him that Harold had died. ("Six Days, Part 2")
Meredith Drowning
when Meredith drowned in Elliott Bay, Cristina left the hospital and went to the dollar store and then to the bar, where she talked to Joe as she got drunk, thinking Meredith would die. ("Some Kind of Miracle")
Adopting Twins
Joe and Walter decided to have kids and put in an application to adopt. They met up with Rina, who was deciding between them and another couple to adopt her baby. They took her to get prenatal care because she hadn't had any and an ultrasound revealed twins. Later, while Walter was taking her to the bus station, Rina started having severe chest pain, so he brought her back to the bar, where she collapsed and was taken back to the ER. ("Testing 1-2-3")
In the ER, Preston Burke took over her care and said she'd need surgery for an aortic dissection, which meant the babies would probably be born that day. They took her into the OR, where the babies were quickly delivered and Burke repaired her heart. After her surgery, she was stable and awake. Walter and Joe sat by her bedside as they held their newborn twins. ("Didn't We Almost Have It All?")
Callie and Mark's Pact
As part of Callie and Mark's pact not to sleep with any interns, they agreed to sit at the bar and stare at Joe, which freaked Joe out. ("Wish You Were Here")
Doctors Celebrating
After Archer's surgery was successful, Addison, Sam, Naomi, Mark, and Derek came to the bar to celebrate. ("Before and After")
When their celebrating continued into the next morning, Joe pointed that out to them. ("Ex-Life")
Richard's Alcoholism
After the stress of the merger, Richard started drinking again and Joe served him. ("New History")
When Richard became drunk on New Year's Day, Joe called Meredith to come take care of him. ("Holidaze")
Documentary
Joe was present when a camera crew filmed a documentary about the doctors at the hospital. He gave interviews on his point of view of the doctors. ("Seattle Grace: On Call")
Cristina Working at the Bar
After Cristina quit her residency, Owen told her to get a job, so she went to work at the bar. Joe quickly became frustrated with her as she was a terrible bartender. He ultimately fired her. ("Slow Night, So Long")
Personality
He enjoys listening to other people's problems, keeping the peace, breaking up fights over games of pool and darts, babysitting drunk employees of Seattle Grace, controlling the flow of alcohol as well as the TV remote. He also enjoys movies, television, exercising (in small doses), and almost any outdoor activity.
Joe is very friendly to his customers, one of the many reasons many of the hospital staff go there.
Relationships
Romantic
Walter
On a camping trip, Joe revealed during a discussion with the Chief that although he and Walter had been "on-and-off" for about ten years, they were now committed and considering the possibility of children, but Walter said he didn't want to raise kids alone because Joe was always working at the bar. However, Joe said that he loved Walter so much that if he needed to make a change, he would. ("Where the Boys Are")
They were one of two couples being considered as adoptive parents for a young mother's twins.
Joe and Walter also attended the Thanksgiving Izzie hosted at Meredith's house, and went on a camping trip with Drs. Shepherd, Burke, Webber, Karev and O'Malley.
Max
He dated a guy named Max for about four weeks. Prior to that, they were friends. Things ended when Joe made the mistake of talking about a hot lifeguard in front of Max. ("Overheard at the Emerald City Bar")
Familial
He has a nephew and a niece named Samantha. ("Overheard at the Emerald City Bar")
He is close with his mother, who lives just down the street from him. ("Overheard at the Emerald City Bar")
Friendships
Joe gets along well with most of the doctors from the hospital across the street from his bar.
Eric
He has a friend named Eric who sustained a head injury from the Dead Baby Bike Race. ("Overheard at the Emerald City Bar")
Miranda Bailey
When Bailey was an intern, she spent a lot of time in the bar talking to Joe. He told her she was worth something, not that he knew anything about it. He gave her confidence. ("Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head") ("The Time Warp")
Career
He owns and runs Emerald City Bar, which is across the street from Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital. He's owned the bar for over 14 years.
Notes and Trivia
- He has an official blog, [1]
- He is 33 years old. ("Overheard at the Emerald City Bar")
- He minored in German in college. ("Overheard at the Emerald City Bar")
- His favorite drink is the Irish Car Bomb. His least favorite drink is Low Carb Beer. ("Overheard at the Emerald City Bar")
- His favorite food is Spicy Buffalo Wings. ("Overheard at the Emerald City Bar")
- One of his favorite films is Carrie.
- In the first season, you can clearly see "Joe" in the operating room during a procedure as Steven W. Bailey at first portrayed an anesthesiologist.
- In 2003, his hair was much longer, almost as long as Meredith's hair.
- He had a pet goldfish that died. ("Notes from the Nurses' Station")
- He's from Duvall, Washington. ("Overheard at the Emerald City Bar")
- He grew up with Larry, the owner of The Dead Baby Bar. Their mothers were constantly competing, using Joe and Larry as pawns. ("Overheard at the Emerald City Bar")
- He went to U-Dub. ("Overheard at the Emerald City Bar")
- As a child, he had a dog named Rusty. ("Overheard at the Emerald City Bar")
Gallery
Episode Stills
Appearances
Grey's Anatomy, Season 2 | |||||
#01 | "Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head" | #10 | "Much too Much" | #19 | "What Have I Done to Deserve This?" |
#02 | "Enough is Enough" | #11 | "Owner of a Lonely Heart" | #20 | "Band-Aid Covers the Bullet Hole" |
#03 | "Make Me Lose Control" | #12 | "Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer" | #21 | "Superstition" |
#04 | "Deny, Deny, Deny" | #13 | "Begin the Begin" | #22 | "The Name of the Game" |
#05 | "Bring the Pain" | #14 | "Tell Me Sweet Little Lies" | #23 | "Blues for Sister Someone" |
#06 | "Into You Like a Train" | #15 | "Break on Through" | #24 | "Damage Case" |
#07 | "Something to Talk About" | #16 | "It's the End of the World" | #25 | "17 Seconds" |
#08 | "Let It Be" | #17 | "As We Know It" | #26 | "Deterioration of the Fight or Flight Response" |
#09 | "Thanks for the Memories" | #18 | "Yesterday" | #27 | "Losing My Religion" |
Grey's Anatomy, Season 3 | |||||
#01 | "Time Has Come Today" | #10 | "Don't Stand So Close to Me" | #19 | "My Favorite Mistake" |
#02 | "I Am a Tree" | #11 | "Six Days, Part 1" | #20 | "Time After Time" |
#03 | "Sometimes a Fantasy" | #12 | "Six Days, Part 2" | #21 | "Desire" |
#04 | "What I Am" | #13 | "Great Expectations" | #22 | "The Other Side of This Life, Part 1" |
#05 | "Oh, the Guilt" | #14 | "Wishin' and Hopin'" | #23 | "The Other Side of This Life, Part 2" |
#06 | "Let the Angels Commit" | #15 | "Walk on Water" | #24 | "Testing 1-2-3" |
#07 | "Where the Boys Are" | #16 | "Drowning on Dry Land" | #25 | "Didn't We Almost Have It All?" |
#08 | "Staring at the Sun" | #17 | "Some Kind of Miracle" | ||
#09 | "From a Whisper to a Scream" | #18 | "Scars and Souvenirs" |
Grey's Anatomy, Season 5 | |||||
#01 | "Dream a Little Dream of Me, Part 1" | #09 | "In the Midnight Hour" | #17 | "I Will Follow You Into the Dark" |
#02 | "Dream a Little Dream of Me, Part 2" | #10 | "All By Myself" | #18 | "Stand By Me" |
#03 | "Here Comes the Flood" | #11 | "Wish You Were Here" | #19 | "Elevator Love Letter" |
#04 | "Brave New World" | #12 | "Sympathy for the Devil" | #20 | "Sweet Surrender" |
#05 | "There's No 'I' in Team" | #13 | "Stairway to Heaven" | #21 | "No Good at Saying Sorry (One More Chance)" |
#06 | "Life During Wartime" | #14 | "Beat Your Heart Out" | #22 | "What a Difference a Day Makes" |
#07 | "Rise Up" | #15 | "Before and After" | #23 | "Here's to Future Days" |
#08 | "These Ties That Bind" | #16 | "An Honest Mistake" | #24 | "Now or Never" |
Grey's Anatomy, Season 6 | |||||
#01 | "Good Mourning" | #09 | "New History" | #17 | "Push" |
#02 | "Goodbye" | #10 | "Holidaze" | #18 | "Suicide is Painless" |
#03 | "I Always Feel Like Somebody's Watchin' Me" | #11 | "Blink" | #19 | "Sympathy for the Parents" |
#04 | "Tainted Obligation" | #12 | "I Like You So Much Better When You're Naked" | #20 | "Hook, Line and Sinner" |
#05 | "Invasion" | #13 | "State of Love and Trust" | #21 | "How Insensitive" |
#06 | "I Saw What I Saw" | #14 | "Valentine's Day Massacre" | #22 | "Shiny Happy People" |
#07 | "Give Peace a Chance" | #15 | "The Time Warp" | #23 | "Sanctuary" |
#08 | "Invest in Love" | #16 | "Perfect Little Accident" | #24 | "Death and All His Friends" |
Grey's Anatomy, Season 7 | |||||
#01 | "With You I'm Born Again" | #09 | "Slow Night, So Long" | #17 | "This is How We Do It" |
#02 | "Shock to the System" | #10 | "Adrift and at Peace" | #18 | "Song Beneath the Song" |
#03 | "Superfreak" | #11 | "Disarm" | #19 | "It's a Long Way Back" |
#04 | "Can't Fight Biology" | #12 | "Start Me Up" | #20 | "White Wedding" |
#05 | "Almost Grown" | #13 | "Don't Deceive Me (Please Don't Go)" | #21 | "I Will Survive" |
#06 | "These Arms of Mine" | #14 | "P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)" | #22 | "Unaccompanied Minor" |
#07 | "That's Me Trying" | #15 | "Golden Hour" | ||
#08 | "Something's Gotta Give" | #16 | "Not Responsible" |
Private Practice, Season 2 | |||||
#01 | "A Family Thing" | #09 | "Know When to Fold" | #17 | "Wait and See" |
#02 | "Equal and Opposite" | #10 | "Worlds Apart" | #18 | "Finishing" |
#03 | "Nothing to Talk About" | #11 | "Contamination" | #19 | "What Women Want" |
#04 | "Past Tense" | #12 | "Homeward Bound" | #20 | "Do the Right Thing" |
#05 | "Let It Go" | #13 | "Nothing to Fear" | #21 | "What You Do for Love" |
#06 | "Serving Two Masters" | #14 | "Second Chances" | #22 | "Yours, Mine & Ours" |
#07 | "Tempting Faith" | #15 | "Acceptance" | ||
#08 | "Crime and Punishment" | #16 | "Ex-Life" |