Ellen Pompeo is no stranger to making headlines, but her latest comments about Grey’s Anatomy co-star Patrick Dempsey have taken the internet by storm.
The actress, who played Dr. Meredith Grey for 19 seasons, recently sat down for an interview on Call Her Daddy, where she reflected on her salary negotiations and the gender pay gap in Hollywood.
While discussing the early days of the show, Pompeo pointed out that Dempsey, who portrayed Dr. Derek Shepherd, initially earned more than her—despite the show being centered around her character.
“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?” she remarked.
However, she quickly added, “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.”
Pompeo clarified that her frustration wasn’t with Dempsey himself but rather with the network undervaluing her contribution to the show.
“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,” she explained.
“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 am the Disney princess of that franchise.”
As expected, Pompeo’s comments ignited a heated debate online. While some supported her for speaking out against pay disparities in Hollywood, others accused her of taking an unnecessary jab at Dempsey.
Critics on X (formerly Twitter) labeled her comments as “bitter,” with one user claiming, “She was no one before this show, and this show made her rich and famous… To now try and diss Patrick was really not needed.”
Another wrote, “He’s still a celebrity, and she’s still a nobody!” while someone else commented, “No one watched the show for her, they watched it for McDreamy.”
However, Pompeo stood firm, acknowledging the backlash and recalling the warning her manager gave her when she renegotiated her salary.
“He said, ‘Are you ready to be unpopular? I just don’t want you to think that everyone is going to go in and cheer for you and clap for you because there are going to be a lot of people that aren’t happy for you,’” she shared.
Looking back, Pompeo admitted that she hadn’t expected such a reaction but was ultimately grateful for the advice.
“Generally, it is hard for people to celebrate other people if they have something that resembles something that they want,” she reflected.
She also pointed out the double standards in the industry, noting how male athletes are praised for their massive contracts.
“It’s a lot, and it’s patriarchy and it’s misogyny,” she said. “Sports players are celebrated for their contracts. Not saying they’re not worth it, but I mean, it’s OK for them to celebrate it.”
Pompeo made it clear that her fight for fair pay wasn’t about asking for something she hadn’t earned.
“I don’t ever want something I don’t deserve… that I haven’t worked for,” she stated, adding that she had done her research into exactly how much ABC was profiting from Grey’s Anatomy.
“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, so I have the data to back up. I know the show has generated this much money; I definitely deserve a percentage of that.”
When asked about how it felt to return to set after securing her historic $20 million salary, Pompeo recalled noticing who celebrated her win—and who stayed silent.
“I was ready for it because of his comment, but what I saw was the people who didn’t say anything,” she said.
“Then the ones who are quiet—you know who don’t say anything—and you see it, and you’re like, ‘OK.’ I don’t know what to say, don’t hate the player, hate the game.”
