Ellen Pompeo Calls Out Pay Disparity: ‘Only A Man Can Have 13 Failed TV Pilots’ Compared to Patrick Dempsey

Grey’s Anatomy star Ellen Pompeo has opened up about the pay disparity between herself and former co-star Patrick Dempsey. From the mind of Shonda Rhimes, Grey’s Anatomy debuted in 2005 and quickly became one of the most popular medical dramas on television. As the protagonist and namesake of the ABC series, Pompeo’s Dr. Meredith Grey remained the leading professional at Grey Sloan Memorial before departing after 19 seasons. Dempsey played Dr. Derek “McDreamy” Shepherd, Meredith’s love interest, until his departure in season 11. In season 21, Pompeo only appears sporadically to maintain her focus on other projects.

On an episode of the Call Her Daddy podcast (via Varie), Pompeo recalled asking creator Rhimes for the same salary as Dempsey during contract negotiations. The actor acknowledged that Dempsey was a more recognizable actor when the show first started, having been cast several times in TV pilots with notable appearances on Will & Grace and Once & Again. She also pointed out that despite being the “Disney princess” of the franchise, a gender disparity remained. Read what she had to say below:

To be completely fair, the television game was so different then. He had done 13 pilots before me. Nothing personal to him, just in general, only a man can have 13 failed TV pilots and their quote keeps going up, right? But in all fairness, his quote was what it was. He was a bigger star than I was at that point. No one knew who I was. Everybody knew who he was, so he did deserve that money.

I’m not saying he didn’t deserve that money. It’s just, being that I was the namesake of the show, I deserved the same and that was harder to get. I wasn’t salty about him getting what he got. I was salty that they didn’t value me as much as they valued him, and they never will.

Being raised in a mafia culture, I always want to pay respect to the people that deserve respect. I see exactly how much ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ makes for ABC/Disney. I get to see the number. It’s my face, it’s my voice. I’ve done so much work promoting the show all over the world for the past 20 years. I am the Disney princess of that franchise.

What This Means For Grey’s Anatomy

Hollywood’s Pay Gap Persisted Even For The Most Recognizable Face On TV

Her comments highlight the long-standing issue of pay inequality in Hollywood, where female workers still struggle to receive the same financial recognition as their male counterparts. In 2018, Pompeo became the highest-paid actress in a TV drama, earning $20 million per season. Before that, Dempsey had a higher salary at $400,000 per episode, prompting her to push for equal pay. She had plenty of leverage since Grey’s Anatomy was consistently drawing nearly 12 million viewers over 300-plus episodes, making it ABC’s No. 2 drama behind only The Good Doctor at the time.

Pompeo was not as big a name as Dempsey when Grey’s Anatomy premiered, but she had still built a solid resume with roles throughout the 90s and early 2000s. The actor had a few appearances in Law & Order before securing roles in feature-length films such as Moonlight Mile opposite Jake Gyllenhaal and Old School. Dr. Meredith Grey was her breakout role, which earned her numerous accolades during her tenure, including a Golden Globe nomination and SAG Award in 2007, and multiple People’s Choice Awards from 2011 to 2022.

For nearly 20 years, Pompeo has been synonymous with Grey’s Anatomy, serving as the show’s lead and one of its most recognizable figures worldwide. She’s also the co-producer for the spinoff Station 19, which has concluded, and has secured office space for her production company at Walt Disney Studios. Pompeo continues to appear in season 21, with Grey’s Anatomy viewers overjoyed at her return and will be starring in Hulu’s miniseries Good American Family.

Our Take On Pompeo’s Fight For Equal Pay

Hollywood Still Has A Long Way to Go

Pompeo’s candid discussion about pay disparity is a lesson in self-advocacy. Dempsey came into Grey’s Anatomy with previous experience and success, but Pompeo was clearly being undervalued as the female lead of a multi-billion-dollar franchise. Her persistence ultimately led to her securing a well-deserved payday, but her story is an exception, not the rule, as women continue to face similar barriers in Hollywood. By speaking out, she is helping pave the way for more equitable pay structures in the entertainment industry alongside actors like Bryce Dallas Howard, Octavia Spencer, and Charlize Theron.