New Details Emerge About Ellen Pompeo's 'Grey's Anatomy' Status
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Ellen Pompeo as Meredith Grey
By now you're probably confused: Did Ellen Pompeo leave Grey's Anatomy, or not? Unfortunately, there isn't a clear yes-or-no answer. She exited the long-running medical drama as a series regular in Season 19, but she didn't say goodbye to the show for good. Instead, she stayed on as a producer and narrator, and even appeared in the Season 19 finale in May. It's almost like she never left.
Related: Everything We Know About 'Grey's Anatomy' Season 20
Now, Debbie Allen, who plays Catherine Fox on Grey's, has revealed to ET that Pompeo will be back for at least two episodes in Season 20. "Miss Thing is there, honey," she told the outlet at the Kennedy Center Honors this week. "We have to let her go and do some other things, but she's still our queen. She's still our number one."
Pompeo left the series in part to have time for other projects. "...The show has been incredible to me and I’ve loved a lot of the experience," the actress told Drew Barrymore in February 2023. "...It’s just, I gotta mix it up a little bit."
Related: All About Ellen Pompeo’s 'Orphan' Series, Which Is Based on a Creepy True Story
So what can fans expect from Pompeo's return to the show? Allen didn't share details, but she promised that viewers have "a lot to look forward to" and also revealed that the season would be just 10 episodes (about half a usual season order) due to the production delays that resulted from the writers' and actors' strikes.
The Season 19 finale saw Meredith knee-deep in controversial Alzheimer's research. Whereas most of the medical community believes the disease is associated with amyloid plaque in the brain—and therefore the majority of funding goes towards advancing that theory—Meredith has a different idea. What will her controversial (but potentially groundbreaking) stance mean for her own funding going forward? Perhaps we'll find out!
Grey's Anatomy returns March 14 at 9 p.m. ET on ABC.
Next, 8 Burning Questions We Have After the 'Grey's Anatomy' Season 19 Finale
