Why is Ellen Pompeo leaving Grey’s Anatomy tonight … or is she?
So where do we begin here? We suppose a good place is by noting that technically, tonight is actually not the last time you will see the actress on-screen as Meredith Grey. The plan is for her to come back for the finale and, of course, there could be more opportunities in future seasons. Also, Pompeo remains an executive producer, and will also be around as narrator. This is not some total exit from the world.
However, this is an exit when it comes to her being a full-time cast member, and even with this news being out there for months, it may still surprise a few people who haven’t been up-to-date on the news.
This isn’t meant to be some sort of controversial exit — and we know that Grey’s Anatomy has had their fair share of those over the years. Ellen has been a part of this world for so long that she simply wants to take on some new challenges, including a new project over at Hulu. This happens to most performers after a specific period of time, and she’s been talking about saying goodbye to the show for years.
Will the series go on without her? Well, we know that there’s a hope to keep it going, but ABC has the final say on the matter.
Even though tonight is not the final time we saw Dr. Meredith Grey on-screen, Pompeo still deserves a lot of credit. Not only has she delivered SO many iconic performances, but she’s also inspired generations of people to become doctors in real life. That’s something that transcends a character on a TV show; there are people out there who have probably saved lives in real hospitals because of what she did on this show.
Are you going to miss having Ellen Pompeo around on Grey’s Anatomy for the time being?
Let us know right now in the comments! Once you do just that, remember to also come back around for other news. (Photo: ABC.)