Ellen Pompeo Says It Would ‘Make No Sense Emotionally or Financially’ to Leave ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ for Good

Ellen Pompeo has a very simple explanation for why she continues to appear as Meredith Grey in ABC’s “Grey’s Anatomy.”

Speaking with El País, Pompeo explained why she has not left the long-running ABC medical drama, telling the outlet, “That would make no sense, emotionally or financially.” The actress and producer went on to note that she has no interest in letting ABC and the producers behind “Grey’s Anatomy” continue to profit off her “hard work” without taking part in the show’s ongoing success herself.

“The show was streamed more than a billion times in 2024. More than a billion times,” Pompeo noted. “The companies that own the show and stream the show make a lot of money from our images and our voices and our faces.”

“If I were to walk away completely, everybody gets to make money from my hard work for 20 years and I wouldn’t make any money. To me, it doesn’t make any sense that everybody [else] gets to profit off of my hard work,” Pompeo continued. “And emotionally, the show means a lot to people. I want to have an attitude of gratitude toward the show.”

In 2022, Pompeo adopted less of a frontline role in “Grey’s Anatomy” but has nonetheless remained a presence in it since then. Coming off ABC’s Season 22 renewal of the series in early April, it does not look like Pompeo’s “Grey’s” stint is going to come to an end anytime soon, either. 

Pompeo is one of the only original “Grey’s Anatomy” cast members who has stuck with the show up to this point. Most of her fellow, original stars, including Sandra Oh, Katherine Heigl, Patrick Dempsey, T. R. Knight and Isaiah Washington, have all hung up their TV scrubs over the years. Pompeo, conversely, has held on tightly to hers, and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future.

Currently, Pompeo is appearing as one of the leads in the Hulu limited series “Good American Family,” which she also executive produced. While she seems happy with her ongoing, decades-spanning performance as Meredith Grey, the actress did also tell El País that she saw “Good American Family” as a chance to try something different again.

“I was just looking for something that was very different from Meredith Grey, and this offer presented itself,” she told the outlet.

The post Ellen Pompeo Says It Would ‘Make No Sense Emotionally or Financially’ to Leave ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ for Good appeared first on TheWrap.