After nearly two decades as the star of ABC’sGrey’s Anatomy,Ellen Pompeois stepping back in her role as Dr. Meredith Grey—a decision that the actress says she’s “super happy” with. TheShonda Rhimes-led series, which began in 2005 and is the longest-running primetime medical drama in TV history, followed Pompeo’s Dr. Grey through her residency and career at Seattle Grace Hospital. Over its 19 seasons, Pompeo has earned multiple awards and nominations for her role onGrey’s, but the actress tells Drew Barrymore that she’s ready to move on to other projects.
Appearing onTuesday’s episode ofThe Drew Barrymore Show, Pompeo told host and fellow actress Barrymore that it’s time to “mix [things] up a bit.”
“I feel super happy, but listen the show has been incredible to me and I’ve loved a lot of the experience…it’s just I gotta mix it up a little bit,” the actress said, joking that staying on the show longer would turn her brains into scrambled eggs.
“I mean, 19 years, that’s more than people keep their kids in their house—like people keep their kids in their house until they’re 18 and then they send them off to college, so this is like me, like going away to college,” she added.
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Though Pompeo still appears sporadically in the show’s 19th season, allowing Meredith to pass the baton to the hospital’s newest batch of interns, the actress already has plans for her life post-Grey’s.A television mother to three, Pompeo shared that she’s eager to spend more time with her real-life children: Stella (13), Sienna (8), and Eli (5).
“I have a lot that I’m doing. I have three kids and so I take care of them, and it’s really important for me to be around for them and be more present for them,” she said.
Career-wise, Pompeo has a Hulu limited series in the works—inspired by a true story, the series follows a family who adopts a young orphan only to find out that the child is hiding a dark secret.
“I’m gonna do a limited series for Hulu in the spring, which is a very cool kind of crazy true story,” Pompeo gushed, while keeping mum on any in-depth details.
Grey’s Anatomyis now streaming on Hulu; fans can catch new episodes of Season 19 beginning in February 2023.
