Ellen Pompeo Declares 'I Gat To Do Something New' After 'Grey's Anatomy' Exit

Ellen Pompeo is widely known for her titular role as Dr. Meredith Grey on the medical drama series "Grey's Anatomy" for nearly two decades.

Unfortunately, fans will not see her in upcoming episodes of the show as she sadly announced her exit in November 2022 but is now shedding light on the reason behind her decision.  

Pompeo feels "super happy" not to be a part of "Grey's Anatomy," much to the surprise of fans; however, she appreciates the production as it had been "incredible to her."

While expressing her love for her experience on the series, she admitted to Drew Barrymore on "The Drew Barrymore Show" that she had to "mix it up" a little bit given her age. The SAG Award winner said:

"I'm 53; my brain is like scrambled eggs. I've gotta do something new, or I'm gonna literally turn into, like, you know you can't choose a New York Times crossword puzzle every single day."

She further noted that the years she spent on the show, nineteen years, was longer than people keep their kids in their houses. Pompeo elaborated, "People keep their kids in their house until they're 18 and then send them off to college. So this is like me like going away to college kinda." 

Speaking of her plans after leaving "Grey's Anatomy," she has a lot going on and prioritizes being "more present" for her three kids. Additionally, the Golden Globe Award nominee will be doing a limited series for Hulu next spring, which she described as a "very cool, like kind of crazy true story."

Amid announcing her exit from the ABC show, The Blast reported that Pompeo took to Instagram to pen a touching tribute attached to a photo of her wearing a yellow turtleneck and staring intently at the camera. Her message partly read:

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

Pompeo lauded those who stayed with her for nearly two decades as she stressed that "none of it" would have been doable without the "best fans in the world." She further called them "riders" and admitted that they all made the experience "so fun and ICONIC!!" Afterward, she expressed affection and gratitude to her supporters, leading her to conclude:

"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."

Less than fifteen hours after the post went live, it gained nearly two million likes and over 31k comments filled with love and heartfelt goodbyes. One fan believed the show would not be the same without Meredith Grey but still showed excitement for Pompeo's new projects and hoped to see her again.

Another follower was "devastated" to hear the news as they stated that "Grey's Anatomy" had become a significant part of who they are from the airing of its first episode.

The same heartbroken fan commended Meredith for her "grit, tenacity, and determination combined with her compassion and mothering nature" that influenced their person and character.

After gushing about the titular character's extensive influence, the commenter advised Pompeo to take her time to heal and return "fighting stronger than ever."

Although Pompeo gained tremendous fame with her role as Meredith on "Grey's Anatomy," she almost turned the gig down as she wanted to be on the big screen, not stuck on television. The Blast reported that she eventually took on the role when her career was not moving forward, and she had difficulties paying her bills.

Being on TV had several perks, including having time to be with her children, so she decided to focus on making money, not chasing "creative acting roles." Meanwhile, during the "Law & Order" star's off days, she rarely watches "Grey's Anatomy" and has only seen a handful of the 18 seasons and 392 episodes.

Nevertheless, she ensures to watch the episodes she directed and the ones from the initial seasons to "keep the spirit of the early days." Pompeo believed that was "really the hard work," trying to "keep that sort of DNA," but it gave the stars a goal to strive for.