The Grey Sloan doctors are staying on call.
ABC has renewed Grey’s Anatomy for a 22nd season, according to multiple outlets.
Grey’s, the longest-running primetime scripted show in ABC’s history, isn’t the only series confirmed to be back for more as the drama 9-1-1, The Rookie, Will Trent and Shifting Gears were also reportedly renewed. Abbott Elementary and High Potential were previously renewed back in January, leaving the Joshua Jackson-led Doctor Odyssey the only ABC show whose fate hasn’t been confirmed.
The renewal news comes amid many major changes for Grey’s Anatomy, especially after Ellen Pompeo took a step back from her leading role as Meredith Grey in 2022.
The actress, who is now appearing on the medical drama in a recurring capacity, previously explained how she had to “mix it up a little bit” after being a series regular for almost two decades.
“I gotta do something new,” she said on The Drew Barrymore Show in December 2022. “I mean, 19 years, that’s more than people keep their kids in their house. People keep their kids in their house until they’re 18 and then they send them off to college, so this is like me like going away to college.”
Grey’s Anatomy: Epic Romances
Ellen—who is mom to kids Stella, 15, Sienna, 10, and Eli, 8, with husband Chris Ivery—also noted that reducing her role would allow her more time for her family.
“I have a lot that I’m doing,” she said. “I have three kids, so I take care of them. It’s really important for me to be around for them and be more present for them.”
And it’s been quite the journey for Ellen, who has been open about her experience fighting for equal pay on Grey’s.
“Just being that I was the namesake of the show, I deserved the same and that was harder to get,” Ellen shared on the March 18 episode of Call Her Daddy, explaining that she spent years being paid less than costar Patrick Dempsey. “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.”
Ellen Pompeo, Grey’s Anatomy
However, Grey’s creator Shonda Rhimes supported her as she advocated for pay equality with her male costar.
“I said to her, ‘I’m gonna go in and ask for this much. Are you cool with that?’” Ellen explained. “Just because I don’t wanna be disrespectful to her, I don’t wanna come off crazy, and I wanna let her know what moves I’m making, because I do respect her. I am grateful to her. And she was like, ‘Yeah, no one’s gonna give it to you, you have to ask for it.’”
And now, Ellen hopes to use her platform to empower other women, too.
“Once you get to a certain level, you can advocate for other women on your platform or in your workplace,” she shared. “If you know that you are getting this much and all the other women are well beneath you, you can’t just be OK with that. You really do have a responsibility to look and see what everybody else is making and use your power to say, ‘Listen, I appreciate what I got. But I really think that all the women deserve a bump.’”
