Ellen Pompeo Admires 'Grey's Anatomy' Fans In Exit Tribute: 'You All Are RIDERS'

Ellen Pompeo has announced her retirement from the long-running "Grey's Anatomy."

The actress has been with the ABC medical series since 2005, earning a massive fan base for playing the titular character, Dr. Meredith Grey. She finally announced the end of her watch on the show following years of expressing her desire to exit the project — or even take on a behind-the-scenes role.

Along with a picture of her looking intently at the camera in a yellow turtleneck and gold hoops, Pompeo shared a heartfelt message on Instagram. She wrote:

"I am eternally grateful and humbled by the love and support you have all shown me, Meredith GREY and the show for 19 seasons!"

She applauded the people who have stuck with her for almost two decades because "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!!"

The Golden Globe Awards nominee declared her love and appreciation for her fans before concluding, "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 [praying hands and red heart emojis]."

Since she made the announcement, it has received an enormous show of love, getting almost two million likes in its first 14 hours. Additionally, 31k+ comments have been dropped, with one person writing, "grays without Meredith? unthinkable! It won't be the same anymore... I always said as long as Meredith is there, l'll be there too & but I'm excited about your new projects and hope to see you again."

Another fan dropped a lengthy comment that began, "I'm devastated! @ellenpompeo YOUR show has become a part of my life and a big part of who I am. I was watching when the first episode aired and instantly fell in love with Grey's Anatomy. I have lived life alongside the characters of the show, crying and laughing together."

The commenter applauded Meredith for her "grit, tenacity and determination combined with her compassion and mothering nature," which made them "the person I am today." Additionally, Meridith taught them that "it's ok to be yourself, to stand up for yourselves and others, and to go after what you want regardless of the mountains in your way." They finished by advising Pompeo, "Take your time to heal and come back fighting stronger than ever."

Stars like Luke Baines, Kate Walsh, Dr. Aviva Romm, Jodie Turner-Smith, Harry Josh, Dominick Thompson, and Emmanuel Acho also chimed in. 

The Blast reported in May that Pompeo said she was unbothered about her possible exit from the medical drama as she believed that the Grey Sloan Memorial would carry on effortlessly without Meredith Grey. 

According to the 53-year-old, "Shonda and I, I think—we'll see, we'll see. Trying to reinvent the show and continually trying to reinvent the show is the challenge at this point, and listen, the show speaks to a lot of people, and the young people love the show."

Earlier this year, Pompeo revealed that she almost did not audition for the role of Meredith. As previously reported, the actress, whose name has appeared on several Forbes year-end lists, claimed that her goal was to be on the big screen and not on television.

Thus, when her agent first showed her the Shonda Rhimes-created script, she dismissed it. Recalling it, she said, "I was like, 'I'm not going to be stuck on a medical show for five years.'"

The Screen Actors Guild Awards winner eventually came around after she realized that her acting career was not progressing as she wanted. Once she saw that she was stuck, she decided to audition, a move that changed the trajectory of her life.

Story-wise, Meredith spent much of her 19 on-screen years struggling with ways to help her daughter Zola (played by Aniela Gumbs) deal with her consistent panic attacks.

So, when Zola discovered a school for gifted children that she liked in Boston, her mother decided to accept the Boston job that Jackson Avery (played by Jesse Williams) had previously offered her. The deal meant that the beloved doctor would join Jackson in finding a cure for Alzheimer's.