Ellen Pompeo isn’t ready to scrub out of “Grey’s Anatomy” just yet.
“That would make no sense, emotionally or financially. The show was streamed more than a billion times in 2024. More than a billion times,” Pompeo told El País in an interview published on Sunday.
The studios and streaming platforms behind the medical drama generate significant revenue from the actors’ likenesses, voices, and appearances, she said.
“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 said. “To me, it doesn’t make any sense that everybody gets to profit off of my hard work.”
Not only that, the show — which has 21 seasons — holds a special place in the hearts of many viewers, she added.
“I want to have an attitude of gratitude toward the show,” she said.
Pompeo believes that women in the industry need to continue to work together and speak out about pay equity.
“I think that it takes all of us women standing up for each other and supporting one another. I’ve had so many women be so kind to me and supportive of me, and I have tried to do the same for other women,” she said.
The pilot episode of “Grey’s Anatomy” aired on March 27, 2005. Pompeo, who plays protagonist Meredith Grey in the drama, stepped back from her role beginning in Season 19, which ran from 2022 to 2023.
Although she reduced her onscreen appearances, Pompeo still serves as the series’ primary narrator.
This decision was in part due to her desire to spend more time with her kids.
“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,” Pompeo said.
Advocating for pay equity
Pompeo has always been candid about her journey toward achieving pay equity on “Grey’s Anatomy.”
In 2018, Pompeo told The Hollywood Reporter she managed to negotiate a deal worth over $20 million a year, including a salary of $575,000 per episode and a seven-figure signing bonus.
“I’m 48 now, so I’ve finally gotten to the place where I’m OK asking for what I deserve, which is something that comes only with age,” Pompeo said, adding that it takes “skill” to still be good on a show 14 years in.
Not only that, she felt affirmed in her decision to prioritize her financial independence when negotiating her contract.
“And I’ll tell you, sitting in rooms full of Oscar-winning actresses listening to how they’ve been preyed upon and assaulted is frightening,” Pompeo said. “And it confirmed that my path really was the right one for me, because I’ve chosen to financially empower myself so that I never have to be ducking predators and chasing trophies. It’s not for everyone. You have to be more interested in business than you are in acting.”
In February, Pompeo told People that “the best thing” about being on “Grey’s Anatomy” was financial security.
“It’s been really lucrative, and I think financial security is not something that every actress is afforded, so I’m very grateful for that,” she said.
During an appearance on “Call Her Daddy” in March, Pompeo told host Alex Cooper that she didn’t want to join a TV series because she wanted to be a movie star. However, she ended up auditioning for “Grey’s Anatomy” because she was broke.
Outside Hollywood, the gender gap exists in many other industries as well.
Payscale’s 2025 Gender Pay Gap Report, which surveyed over 369,000 participants in the US, found that women earn just 83 cents for every dollar men make.
In 2024, the Chamber of Commerce compiled data from the Census Bureau to create a map of what the gender pay gap looks like in different US states.
A representative for Pompeo did not immediately respond to a request for comment sent by Business Insider.
