As for how Shonda felt saying goodbye to Ellen Pompeo, who departed from the show in Feb. 2023 after eighteen years? As she put it, “Having Ellen leave was heartbreaking for everybody, but also knowing that she could come back anytime was also important for me.”
Shonda noted that she wanted to “make sure everybody understood that the door’s always open—for any of our past characters” by leaving Meredith Grey’s exit open-ended.
“Ellen’s an amazing person and she and I have been having conversations the whole time, discussing when it was time and what it was feeling like,” Shonda said of the actress’ departure. “We’ve always been having those discussions because I’ve always wanted her to be excited and invested and enjoying herself as much as she was at the beginning.”
The Queen Charlotte showrunner added that it was time for Meredith to move on so that Ellen can “explore new creative things.”
“It was a little of a heartbreaking moment, but it was also a moment—for me—that she’s not gone because she’s coming back,” she said. “I don’t think of her as gone from the show, she’s still doing the voiceovers, she’s still there.”
