After 19 seasons, Dr Meredith Grey is saying goodbye to Grey Sloan memorial hospital as Ellen Pompeo has confirmed she is leaving Grey’s Anatomy.
After years of rumours that the actress was planning to leave the ABC show, Ellen took to Instagram to announce her departure as the series’ lead.
“I am eternally grateful and humbled by the love and support you have all shown me, Meredith GREY and the show for 19 seasons! Through it all….none of it …would have been possible without the best fans in the world. You all are RIDERS and you all have made the ride so fun and ICONIC!!” she wrote.
“I love you madly and appreciate you right back. This isn’t your first time on the rollercoaster… you know the show must go on and I’ll definitely be back to visit. With a lot of love and immense gratitude XoE 🙏🏼❤️”
The news wasn’t entirely unexpected. Not only have rumours persisted for years that she was thinking of leaving, Ellen’s character, Meredith only appeared in 8 episodes this season.
A teaser for the upcoming Grey’s Anatomy midseason premiere shows Ellen’s character saying her goodbyes to her fellow doctors as she moves away from Seattle and heads to Boston.
After appearing in over 400 episodes, many fans feared that Ellen’s departure would mean the end of the series, especially as the show was named after her. However, Grey’s Anatomy will live on – for a few more seasons we hope!
Unlike other Grey’s Anatomy actors, whose storyline departures were very-much non-returnable (think plane crashes and getting hit by a bus), the good news is that Meredith’s end to the show is open-ended.
The show’s producers have left the door open for Pompeo to return in future guest appearances after this season, and she will still have a presence as Grey’s Anatomy’s narrator and for the occasional guest spot, including in the current season finale.
Ellen now joins a number of original cast members who have departed the show, including Katherine Heigl, Sandra Oh and Patrick Dempsey.
Only two original cast members remain on the show: Chandra Wilson and James Pickens Jr.
Watch Below: Ellen Pompeo Was ‘Completely Shocked’ by Backlash from Women Over Grey’s Anatomy Paycheck
It is believed that in 2017, Ellen was able to negotiate a commanding per-episode salary of $US575,000, along with a signing bonus and backend deals. It was estimated that the actress was taking home $US20 million a year, making her the highest-paid female actor on TV at the time.
“As a woman, what I know is you can’t approach anything from a point of view of ‘I don’t deserve’ or ‘I’m not going to ask for because I don’t want other people to get upset,’”, she told The Hollywood Reporter in 2017.
“And I know for a fact that when men go into these negotiations, they go in hard and ask for the world.”
“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. Because I’m not the most ‘relevant’ actress out there.”
“I know that’s the industry perception because I’ve been this character for 14 years. But the truth is, anybody can be good on a show season one and two. Can you be good 14 years later? Now, that’s a f**king skill.”
Where to watch Greys Anatomy in Australia
You can re-live your favourite Grey’s Anatomy moments, or start it all again from the very beginning, on Disney+.
Stream it now on Disney Plus, live and on demand with a month-to-month or annual subscription. SIGN UP NOW for a free seven-day trial.
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