Grey’s Anatomy: Why Ellen Pompeo Almost Left (And Why She Stayed)
Grey’s Anatomy has seen many of its most beloved characters depart from the show in heartbreaking and tragic ways throughout its 18-season run.
Fans of Grey’s Anatomy may not know that Ellen Pompeo, who plays Meredith Grey, considered leaving the ABC series — here’s why she stayed. As the longest-running primetime medical drama of all time, it’s no surprise that certain Grey’s Anatomy actors would want to leave eventually. The series has seen many of its most beloved characters depart from the show throughout its 18-season run.
Whether it’s Sandra Oh’s Cristina Yang, T.R. Knight’s George O’Malley, or Patrick Dempsey’s Derek Shepherd, many fan favorites have exited Grey’s Anatomy over the years. Only a handful of original cast members from Grey’s Anatomy‘s first season still remain, and Ellen Pompeo is one of them. Over the course of the series, Pompeo’s character has been through a lot, notably losing the love of her life, Derek Shepherd, back in season 11.
Fans may not know that, like many of her co-stars, Ellen Pompeo actually considered leaving the Grey’s Anatomy at one point, too. She remains one of the few actors to have appeared in all of Grey’s Anatomy’s 18 seasons, which inevitably takes a toll on an actor, so it’s understandable that she would consider other options. However, it appears that the main reason why Ellen Pompeo almost left the show was due to the toxic culture behind the scenes. Pompeo shared with Variety that “the first 10 years we had serious culture issues, very bad behavior, really toxic work environment. But once I started having kids, it became no longer about me. I need to provide for my family.”
In fact, in light of recent allegations, it seems likely that Derek Shepherd, Pompeo’s love interest on Grey’s Anatomy, was written out of the show because of actor Patrick Dempsey’s toxic behavior on the Grey’s Anatomy set. However, Pompeo had her reasons for wanting to remain on the show despite all these factors. In an interview on the Jemele Hill is Unbothered podcast, she said, “I made choices to stay on the show. For me, personally, a healthy home life was more important than a career.” Given her priorities, it didn’t make sense for Pompeo to walk away. She added, “I knew it was such a downloadable show […] I want a piece of this pie, too.”
However, in recent years, Ellen Pompeo seems to have gained more control over the production than she had before. Showrunner Shonda Rhimes has stated that they have an agreement that she and Pompeo will decide on Grey’s Anatomy’s ending. Speaking to Variety, Pompeo said, “After Season 10, we had some big shifts in front of the camera, behind the camera. It became my goal to have an experience there that I could be happy and proud about, because we had so much turmoil for 10 years. […] Shonda Rhimes and I decided to rewrite the ending of this story.” Ellen Pompeo’s decision to remain on Grey’s Anatomy was born from a desire to provide for her family, even if it meant sacrificing other options for her career, but this doesn’t mean she wasn’t determined to create a series she’s proud of, despite having to withstand a toxic work environment.
