Ellen Pompeo reveals why she’ll never leave ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ for good: ‘It doesn’t make any sense’

An pome a time won’t support Ellen Pompeo away.

The “Grey’s Anatomy” star, 55, has revealed that she would ne'er bent up her scrubs and time off nan celebrated aesculapian play for bully because she “wouldn’t make immoderate money” if she did.

Pompeo, who has starred arsenic Dr. Meredith Grey connected nan long-running ABC bid since its premiere backmost successful March 2005, precocious discussed nan “emotional” and “financial” matter during an question and reply with El País.

“That would make nary sense, emotionally aliases financially,” Pompeo said erstwhile asked whether she would ever time off nan beloved bid permanently. “The show was streamed much than a cardinal times successful 2024. More than a cardinal times.”

“The companies that ain nan show and watercourse nan show make a batch of money from our images and our voices and our faces,” she continued. “If I were to locomotion distant completely, everybody gets to make money from my difficult activity for 20 years, and I wouldn’t make immoderate money.”

Pompeo explained “it doesn’t make immoderate sense” that everyone but her would profit from her “hard work” aft 21 seasons, adding that, from an affectional perspective, “Grey’s Anatomy” intends “a batch to” nan show’s millions of fans.

“To me, it doesn’t make immoderate consciousness that everybody gets to profit disconnected of my difficult work,” she said. “And emotionally, nan show intends a batch to people. I want to person an cognition of gratitude toward nan show.”

Elsewhere successful nan interview, nan “Good American Family” prima discussed why she chose to pursue a smaller role connected “Grey’s Anatomy.” While Pompeo still serves arsenic nan show’s main narrator, she doesn’t look successful each episode.

“I’ve been doing it for 20 years, truthful it was clip to measurement away,” she explained to nan outlet. “I person 3 children, and I emotion spending clip pinch them, and I emotion being progressive successful their lives. I’m very fortunate to beryllium capable to get to activity sometimes and return clip off. I person a bully equilibrium successful my life.”

As for her latest domiciled arsenic Kristine Barnett connected the caller Hulu bid “Good American Family,” Pompeo said it was some “thrilling” and “terrifying” to play a characteristic that wasn’t Dr. Meredith Grey aft much than 20 years.

“It was astatine nan aforesaid clip thrilling and terrifying,” she admitted. “People person been watching maine successful nan aforesaid domiciled for 20 years. I’ve been playing nan aforesaid domiciled for 20 years. I had nary logic to judge that I could do thing else.”

“I hadn’t tested myself successful 20 years, and I can’t expect my assemblage to judge maine arsenic thing else,” Pompeo added. “If I’m going to inquire them to watch maine arsenic a caller character, past I’d amended present connected each fronts.”

Before her question and reply with El País this month, Pompeo made headlines for opening up about nan first salary gap betwixt herself and erstwhile “Grey’s Anatomy” co-star Patrick Dempsey astatine nan commencement of nan show’s first season.

“I wasn’t salty astir him getting what he got,” nan character said connected nan “Call Her Daddy” podcast successful March. “I was salty that they didn’t worth maine arsenic overmuch arsenic they weighted him, and they ne'er will.”

Pompeo later renegotiated her statement and, by 2018, became the highest-paid actress in a tv drama, bringing successful $20 cardinal per play of “Grey’s Anatomy.”