Ellen Pompeo has spent 21 seasons as Dr. Meredith Grey on “Grey’s Anatomy,” but she’s not ready to share those with her 10-year-old daughter.
In a recent appearance on “Jimmy Kimmel Live,” Pompeo told Kimmel that while her 15-year-old daughter Stella has seen some episodes of the show, it’s off limits to her 10-year-old sister Sienna.
“I don’t want my daughter to see me in my underwear on television just yet. But all her classmates have so, that makes for great conversation at pickup,” Ellen told the talk show host.
In addition to her two daughters, Pompeo also shares 6-year-old son Eli with husband Chris Ivery.
Ellen Pompeo Reflects on Twenty Years of ‘Grey’s Anatomy’
“Grey’s Anatomy” first debuted 20 years ago on March 27, 2005. Kimmel asked the series star if seeing old episodes makes her nostalgic, questioning, “Do you feel emotional watching those, is it like watching home movies in a way?” To which Pompeo replied, “No, because I don’t remember half of it. I’m just like, ‘Wow, when did that happen?’”
55-year-old Pompeo stepped back from a full-time role on “Grey’s Anatomy” in 2023, but continues to narrate the show and appear in episodes occasionally.
Pompeo told “USA Today” that she’s currently in negotiations to appear in seven episodes of “Grey’s Anatomy” next season, the same number as this season.
“I absolutely am so privileged to be able to say that I get to be a part of it, still, and the fans love that, and with a commitment that works for me and makes me able to fill my life with other things,” she said. “I don’t know if there’s been a next-season pickup or not. But they know that I love that show and that’s 20 years of my life and that I always will pop in and out and make appearances.”
Pompeo Shifts Focus to ‘Good American Family’
Stepping back from “Grey’s Anatomy” has allowed Pompeo to shift her focus to a new project, playing “Kristine Barnett” in “Good American Family.”
The Hulu series tells a dramatized version of the true story of Natalia Grace, a Ukrainian immigrant born with dwarfism. Pompeo plays the adoptive mother of the girl who may not have been what she seemed. Things start to unravel when Pompeo’s character questions whether or not the child she thought was a 7-year-old is really an adult running a con.
Pompeo told “USA Today” that while the series is controversial, she welcomed the challenge.
“‘Grey’s’ has other challenges,” she said. “But I really wanted something that really challenged me and to see if I have what it takes. I’ve been doing the same thing for 20 years. And if I fall on my face, I fall on my face. This was something that I could put 200% of my effort into and let’s just see what happens.”
The first two episodes of “Good American Family” debut on Hulu March 19, with six more to come. A new episode will be released every Wednesday through April 30.
