Ellen Pompeo aka Meredith Grey REVEALS ‘real reason’ why she’s leaving Grey’s Anatomy after 19 seasons

On Tuesday, December 13, Ellen Pompeo appeared as a guest on The Drew Barrymore Show. The actress candidly opened up about why she’s actually leaving ABC’s longest-running medical drama Grey’s Anatomy.

Ellen Pompeo says she’s “gotta mix it up a little”

After playing the legendary role of Meredith Grey for 19 seasons, Ellen has finally decided to part ways with Grey’s Anatomy. In fact, the actress’s farewell episode is all set to air on February 23, 2023. In a conversation about finally leaving the show with Drew Barrymore, Ellen shared, “I feel super happy, but listen, the show has been incredible to me and I’ve loved a lot of the experience.” She added, “Listen, it’s just, I gotta mix it up a little bit.”

Ellen Pompeo WANTS to “do something new” 

The actress went ahead and explained, “I’m 53. My brain is like scrambled eggs. I gotta do something new or I’m literally gonna turn into like, you can’t do the New York Times crossword puzzle every single day.” She jokingly added, “I mean, 19 years, that’s more than people keep their kids in their house, like 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.”

Not too long ago, the makers of the show announced that while the fans might not get to see a lot of Meredith Grey on screen, the actress will narrate the show and will continue to serve as the executive producer. 

Ellen Pompeo wants to “be more present” for her three kids

Ellen added, “I have a lot that I’m doing. I have three kids and so I take care of them, and it’s really important for me to be around for them and be more present for them.”

Ellen Pompeo will be next seen in an 8-episode Hulu series 

When asked about her plans after Grey’s Anatomy, Pompeo shared she is all set to star in and executively produce an 8-episode untitled limited series about orphans for Hulu, which is based on a true story.  

Grey’s Anatomy is all set to return with the second part of the new season next year on Thursday, February 23 at 9 PM ET/PT on ABC.