Ellen Pompeo has explained why she'll never leave Grey's Anatomy

She has been involved in the drama series since it first aired in 2005.

The actress has stepped back from the show but remains involved as a producer, as well as playing Meredith Grey in a reduced role.

Speaking about why she'll never leave the show completely, Pompeo said it wouldn't make sense to quit.

She told El País: "That would make no sense, emotionally or financially. The show was streamed more than a billion times in 2024. More than a billion times.

"The companies that own the show and stream the show make a lot of money from our images and our voices and our faces."

Pompeo is the lead star of Grey's Anatomy, so leaving completely would make very little sense.

"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. And emotionally, the show means a lot to people. I want to have an attitude of gratitude toward the show."

Last week, it was confirmed that Grey's Anatomy would return for a 22nd series.

Ellen Pompeo on why she won’t leave ‘Grey’s Anatomy’:

“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 gets to profit off of my hard work.“ pic.twitter.com/qOQJEs7Jnr

— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) April 14, 2025

Fans of the show would all agree that the medical drama certainly wouldn't be the same if Ellen Pompeo left.