Ellen Pompeo will leave Grey’s Anatomy. Photo / Supplied
Ellen Pompeo will leave Grey’s Anatomy. Photo / Supplied
Ellen Pompeo has spoken for the first time since news broke that she is to exit Grey’s Anatomy after 19 seasons.
“I am eternally grateful and humbled by the love and support you have all shown me, Meredith Grey and the show for 19 seasons. Through it all … none of it … would have been possible without the best fans in the world.
“You all are riders and you all have made the ride so fun and iconic. I love you madly and appreciate you right back.
“This isn’t your first time on the rollercoaster … you know the show must go on and I’ll definitely be back to visit. With a lot of love and immense gratitude.”
Pompeo is scheduled to leave the show as a series regular on February 23, the date of the next episode. But she will still have a presence as Grey’s Anatomy’s narrator and for the occasional guest spot, including in the current season finale.
On screen, the character will be written out with a cross-country move to Boston, where she will work on Alzheimer’s research, an illness which afflicted her mother.
The show’s producers have also left open the door for Pompeo to return in future guest appearances after this season.
Grey’s Anatomy has been running for 19 seasons. Photo / Supplied
Pompeo has played Meredith Grey in more than 400 episodes of the long-running primetime medical soap opera, with her character having gone through many dramatic beats including deaths, plane crashes, near drownings, bombs and more.
The Shonda Rhimes series premiered in 2005 with a cast that also included Katherine Heigl, Sandra Oh and Patrick Dempsey. With Pompeo’s exit as the eponymous lead, only two original cast members, Chandra Wilson and James Pickens Jr, remain.
In the early years, Grey’s Anatomy was renowned for its on-and-off romance between Meredith and Derek Shepherd (Dempsey), who was nicknamed “McDreamy”. Dempsey’s character was killed off in the 11th season to much fanfare.
At its peak, the drama was one of the highest-rated series on American TV even as audiences started to move away from linear broadcast channels.
The show’s popularity allowed Pompeo in 2017 to negotiate a commanding per-episode salary of US$575,000 ($937,831). Along with a sizeable signing bonus and backend deals, Pompeo was taking home US$20m a year. She was the highest-paid female actor on TV at the time.
Meredith and McDreamy were a beloved couple. Photo / Supplied
She told The Hollywood Reporter in 2017, “As a woman, what I know is you can’t approach anything from a point of view of ‘I don’t deserve’ or ‘I’m not going to ask for because I don’t want other people to get upset’.
“And I know for a fact that when men go into these negotiations, they go in hard and ask for the world.
“I’m 48 now, so I’ve finally gotten to the place where I’m okay asking for what I deserve, which is something that comes only with age. Because I’m not the most ‘relevant’ actress out there.
“I know that’s the industry perception because I’ve been this character for 14 years. But the truth is, anybody can be good on a show season one and two. Can you be good 14 years later? Now, that’s a f***ing skill.”
Pompeo revealed that Dempsey’s exit from the series after season 11 changed the game for her because previously the network would lord it over her that she wasn’t “needed” because it had him.
She said the two had never joined forces in negotiating together – apparently he wasn’t interested – and at one point, she asked for US$5000 more per episode than him because the series is called Grey’s Anatomy and she was Meredith Grey, and the powers-that-be refused.
“I could have walked away, so why didn’t I? It’s my show, I’m the number one,” she expanded.
“I’m sure I felt what a lot of these other actresses feel. Why should I walk away from a great part because of a guy? You feel conflicted but then you figure, I’m not going to let a guy drive me out of my own house.”
TV show Grey's Anatomy. Photo / Supplied
Pompeo said she had to decompress after Dempsey’s exit, calling it a “tumultuous end”. Which could explain why, despite rumours, the two are not reuniting on another project any time soon.
Dempsey this week had to quash speculation of a reunion. He told EW, “I saw that too. I think it’s just probably because the show is on … and of course she’s made an announcement about leaving the show or she’s not on this season. It’s a real testament to the fans that they want to see that couple still together and what an impact it is.
“But no, I haven’t read anything, I haven’t seen anything and I haven’t talked to her about it.”
Pompeo’s Grey’s Anatomy co-stars have responded to the news.
Jesse Williams said, “That woman has worked so hard all year, every year for 20 years for that franchise. Whatever time she takes off is well-earned, and I’m sure they have a master plan.”
