While she’s now one of the world’s highest-paid in her field, Ellen still recalls the struggle to be valued equally.
ELLEN Pompeo has ripped Patrick Dempsey and his massive Grey’s Anatomy salary, fuming ‘only a man can fail and keep going up’.
The actress, 55, famously made little more than half her co-star’s wage when they starred together in the ABC drama until 2015, despite her being the face of the series.
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Ellen Pompeo has ripped Patrick Dempsey and his massive Grey’s Anatomy salaryCredit: YouTube/Call Her Daddy
Patrick, who played Derek Shepherd, made almost double her wage Credit: Getty
While she’s now one of the world’s highest-paid in her field, Ellen still recalls the struggle to be valued equally.
Speaking on Call Her Daddy, she said: “To be completely fair, the television game was so different then, and he had done like 13 pilots before me, right?’
“That was my first pilot I’d ever done and, back in those days, I don’t know if they still do this or not, you had a quote and with every TV pilot you did, you got your quote, which was whatever it was.
“So if you’ve done 13 TV pilots, and here we go, nothing personal to him, but just in general, only a man can fail – can have 13 failed TV pilots – and their quote still 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, just being that I was the namesake of the show, I deserved the same and then that was harder to get, so 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 has played Meredith Grey since Grey’s Anatomy premiered in 2005.
Despite being the show’s lead, she wasn’t initially its highest-paid actor.
Reports revealed that Patrick, who played Derek Shepherd, made more than her, and when she requested a raise, producers refused.
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It was not until Patrick was killed off the show in 2015 that Ellen was able to argue for more money.
Now, she earns a $20million salary for her role as Dr. Grey, which helps add to her $80million fortune, according to Celebrity Net Worth.
Ahead of Grey’s Anatomy Season 19, Ellen announced she would be reducing her role to pursue other acting opportunities. Shortly after, she confirmed her full departure from the series.
In an emotional Instagram post, she thanked fans, writing: “I am eternally grateful and humbled by the love and support you have all shown me, Meredith, and the show for 19 seasons.
“Through it all… none of it would have been possible without the best fans in the world.
“You all are RIDERS, and you have made the ride so fun and ICONIC.”
However, she left the door open for a return, adding: “I’ll definitely be back to visit.”
Ellen’s final episode as a series regular aired in February 2023, titled I’ll Follow the Sun.
Her character bid farewell to Seattle and Grey Sloan Memorial, moving to Boston for a new chapter.
While she’s stepped away from the spotlight on Grey’s Anatomy, Ellen remains involved as an executive producer and has begun exploring new projects.
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