Grey's Anatomy writer faked cancer by altering how she looked and taking 'puke breaks'
A Grey's Anatomy writer who claimed to have cancer and came into work looking like 'she lived in a microwave' later admitted it was all a lie.
Elisabeth Finch is now the subject of a three-part Peacock documentary, Anatomy of Lies, which explores the web of deceit she spun and how she was exposed.
Elisabeth joined the long-running ABC medical drama in 2014, penning 13 episodes and producing a further 172.
She was extremely public about her diagnosis, telling colleagues she had a rare form of bone cancer called chondrosarcoma,
Advert
Elisabeth even wrote essays in outlets including Elle and The Hollywood Reporter about her harrowing health ordeals.
She claimed to have lost a kidney and underwent an abortion after gruelling rounds of chemotherapy.
Andy Reaser, a former colleague of Elisabeth's, said in an exclusive clip from Peacock: "This was like performance art.
"She was showing up to work with a shaved head and a, you know, a greenish hue. She looked like she lived in a microwave. She was eating these Saltines and drinking ginger ale and going to the bathroom to take puke breaks from her chemo."
It was all an act though, and in 2022 she was caught out when Vanity Fair published an exposé probing Elisabeth's claims.
The writer was placed on administrative leave following the release of the article, and later resigned from the Grey's Anatomy team after admitting to lying.
Elisabeth confirmed she never even had cancer, telling The Ankler in December 2022: "I’ve never had any form of cancer. It [the lie] just got bigger and bigger and bigger and got buried deeper and deeper inside me.
"I know it’s absolutely wrong what I did. I lied and there’s no excuse for it."
She continued: "The best way I can explain it is when you experience a level of trauma a lot of people adopt a maladaptive coping mechanism.
"Some people drink to hide or forget things. Drug addicts try to alter their reality. Some people cut.
"I lied. That was my coping and my way to feel safe and seen and heard."
Andy has known Elisabeth for years and admits he struggled to 'wrap his head around' the truth.
"It was so confusing," he said. "You have to move through eight years of interactions to even wrap your head around it. And I'm not even sure that I still fully have."
Anatomy of Lies launches on Peacock on October 15.
Ellie Kemp