You’ll never guess how much Ellen Pompeo earned after Patrick Dempsey left Grey’s Anatomy
GREY’S ANATOMY star Ellen Pompeo revealed this week that she landed a whopping pay rise after Patrick Dempsey left the show.
Ellen Pompeo has negotiated a pay rise after Patrick Dempsey left Grey's Anatomy
Grey's Anatomy: Ellen Pompeo stars as Meredith Grey
The 48-year-old has announced that she negotiated a $20 million-a-year salary after her co-star exited the show back in 2015.
Speaking about how she scooped her seven figure net pay, Ellen divulged that she could demand the significant pay rise after the Bridget Jones’s Baby star had left the series.
The actress, who plays doctor Meredith Grey in the hit medical drama, was recently confirmed to be becoming a producer on Grey’s Anatomy after recently extending her contract with the hit American series.
According to Deadline, who also reported that the show is expected to continue for its 15th and 16th seasons, the new deal will see the Golden Globe winner reportedly earn $575,000 per episode.
Ellen Pompeo has revealed that she negotiated a pay rise after Patrick Dempsey left Grey's Anatomy
Ellen starred alongside Patrick Dempsey before he left the medical drama in 2015
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Ellen said: “For me, Patrick [Dempsey] leaving the show [in 2015] was a defining moment, deal-wise.
“They could always use him as leverage against me — ‘We don’t need you; we have Patrick’— which they did for years.”
She added: “I don’t know if they also did that to him, because he and I never discussed our deals.
“There were many times where I reached out about joining together to negotiate, but he was never interested in that.
Patrick Dempsey left Grey's Anatomy back in 2015
Grey's Anatomy: Ellen Pompeo stars as Meredith Grey
Ellen Pompeo is thought to be the highest paid actress on a television drama
I could have walked away, so why didn’t I? It’s my show; I’m the number one.
“At one point, I asked for $5,000 more than him just on principle, because the show is Grey’s Anatomy and I’m Meredith Grey. They wouldn’t give it to me.
“And I could have walked away, so why didn’t I? It’s my show; I’m the number one.
The mother-of-three continued: “I’m sure I felt what a lot of these other actresses feel: Why should I walk away from a great part because of a guy?
“You feel conflicted but then you figure, ‘I’m not going to let a guy drive me out of my own house.’”
The actress has negotiated a producer role on Grey's Anatomy
In addition to signing a two-year deal with ABC Studios, Deadline reported today that the former Law & Order star became the co-executive producer on the show’s upcoming spinoff series.
The huge salary, and additional earnings and perks from her role as producer on the show, is said to make her the highest-paid actress on a television drama.
Revealing how she negotiated the new deal, the actress explained: “What happened is that I went to Shonda [Rhimes] and I said, ‘If you’re moving on to Netflix and you want the show to go down, I’m cool with that,’
“‘But if you want it to continue, I need to be incentivised. I need to feel empowered and to feel ownership of this show.’”