Grey’s Anatomy star Ellen Pompeo explains why she'll never quit the show

Ellen Pompeo reflected on her future on the hit hospital drama Grey's Anatomy and said she isn’t done with the character of Dr. Meredith Grey.

When you think TV hospital drama, chances are you think of Grey’s Anatomy and there is a few reasons for that, one of them namely being Pompeo.

The 55-year-old actress has been in almost every episode of the 21 season show and has been on the screen as Dr. Meredith Grey from day one.

But over recent years, Pompeo has taken a bit more of a backseat to the show, in 2022 renegotiating her contract to reduce the number of episodes on which she appeared down to just a handful a season. Although she would continue to be the narrator and executive producer of the series.

Speaking to El Pais about her lengthy stint on the TV show, she explained the reason for the shift.

Ellen Pompeo has been a part of Grey's Anatomy from the very beginning (Disney)

She said: “I’ve been doing it for 20 years, so it was time to step away. I have three children and I love spending time with them and I love being involved in their lives. I’m very lucky to be able to get to work sometimes and take time off. I have a nice balance in my life."

However, she has said that she isn’t quite ready to quit the show completely and that she doesn’t really see it being in the cards for her for a very specific reason.

She added: “That would make no sense, emotionally or financially. The show was streamed more than a billion times in 2024. More than a billion times.

“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.

Pompeo doesn't see the point of stepping away from the show that made her a household name(Rich Polk/Deadline via Getty Images)

“To me, it doesn’t make any sense that everybody [else] gets to profit off of my hard work. And emotionally, the show means a lot to people. I want to have an attitude of gratitude toward the show.”

With that said, Pompeo hasn’t completely shut the door on other opportunities and currently features in the TV Mini series Good American Family.

She also admitted that she is fully aware that she has been in the same role for 20 years and hadn’t been testing herself with new roles but welcomes the chance to, saying it is both ‘thrilling and terrifying’.