Ellen Pompeo became a household name with her beloved onscreen character Meredith Grey in the hugely popular television series Grey's Anatomy.
The actress came on board as the lead in 2005 and has stuck by it for 20 years. The series was just renewed for Season 22, Ellen, however, cut back her role from Season 21.
Speaking on why she re-negotiated her Grey's Anatomy contract, 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 recently, when asked about leaving the show permanently, Ellen told El País, "The companies that own the show and stream the show make a lot of money from our images and our voices and our faces. That would make no sense, emotionally or financially."
She added, "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. Emotionally, the show means a lot to people. I want to have an attitude of gratitude toward the show."
Ellen is currently starring in the Good American Family which has been getting rave reviews.
Expressing her initial hesitation to step away from her character Meredith Grey, she told The Hollywood Reporter, "If I was going to do something different, it really had to be truly something different, right? I'm so well known as Meredith Grey."
Grey's Anatomy was viewed more than a billion times alone in 2024. Such is the massive reach of the show.
