Ellen Pompeo considered leaving Grey's Anatomy due to 'toxic work environment'... and reveals what made her stay
She is now the highest-earning dramatic actress on television.
But surgery wasn't always a success on the medical drama set for Ellen Pompeo.
The 49-year-old actress revealed to fellow actress Taraji P. Henson that she wanted to leave Grey's Anatomy due to the 'toxic work environment' in an interview for Variety.
'We had serious culture issues': Ellen Pompeo that she wanted to leave Grey's Anatomy due to the 'toxic work environment'
When asked about when she considered leaving during the rocky time on set of the highly popular ABC medical drama, Pompeo replied: 'There were many moments.
'It's funny: I never wanted off the bus in the year that I could get off. The first 10 years we had serious culture issues, very bad behavior, really toxic work environment. But once I started having kids, it became no longer about me. I need to provide for my family.'
Pompeo was motivated to keep moving forward as there is no guarantee she will be able to mange a stable paycheck for her family if she left.
Dynamic duo: The 49-year-old actress was interviewed by fellow actress Taraji P. Henson for Variety
She explained: 'At 40 years old, where am I ever going to get this kind of money? I need to take care of my kids. But after Season 10, we had some big shifts in front of the camera, behind the camera.
'It became my goal to have an experience there that I could be happy and proud about, because we had so much turmoil for 10 years. My mission became, this can’t be fantastic to the public and a disaster behind the scenes.'
However ultimately it was her relationship with superstar showrunner Shonda Rimes that kept her on the show.
!['[We] decided to rewrite the ending of this story': However ultimately it was her relationship with superstar showrunner Shonda Rimes that kept her on the show, as they are pictured together in October 2018](http://web.archive.org/web/20190606202313/https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2019/06/05/18/14412670-7108577-_We_decided_to_rewrite_the_ending_of_this_story_However_ultimate-a-13_1559755622211.jpg)
!['[We] decided to rewrite the ending of this story': However ultimately it was her relationship with superstar showrunner Shonda Rimes that kept her on the show, as they are pictured together in October 2018](http://web.archive.org/web/20190606202313im_/https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2019/06/05/18/14412670-7108577-_We_decided_to_rewrite_the_ending_of_this_story_However_ultimate-a-13_1559755622211.jpg)
'[We] decided to rewrite the ending of this story': However ultimately it was her relationship with superstar showrunner Shonda Rimes that kept her on the show, as they are pictured together in October 2018
Pompeo said: 'Shonda Rhimes and I decided to rewrite the ending of this story. That’s what’s kept me. Patrick Dempsey left the show in Season 11, and the studio and network believed the show could not go on without the male lead.
'So I had a mission to prove that it could. I was on a double mission.'
Despite already knowing the answer, 48-year-old Taraji then asked the tough question if Pompeo had been paid the same as Dempsey since the beginning.
The Grey's Anatomy Star replied: 'He was being paid almost double what I was in the beginning. He had a television quote. I had never done TV.'
'He was being paid almost double what I was in the beginning': Pompeo revealed that Patrick Dempsey was being paid significantly more than her and that she eventually asked for $5,000 more than him 'just on principle'
The explanation was that Dempsey had done 13 pilots and none of them had worked out.
Pompeo added: 'I didn’t even realize until we were renegotiating Season 3. No one was offering that up.'
She eventually fought for a better salary than her co-star as she said: 'My husband says, "Closed mouths don’t get fed." But if you have to walk, don’t be a victim. If you don’t get what you want, put your big-girl panties on...
'You can know your worth, but if they don’t know it, you can’t cry.'
Last year she told The Hollywood Reporter that she had once asked for $5,000 more than Dempsey 'just on principle.'
'My husband says, "Closed mouths don’t get fed"': The star revealed words of wisdom she was given by her spouse Chris Ivery (pictured in February), the couple were married in 2007 and have three children together
She said: '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.
'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.'
It all worked out in the end as in that same article she revealed that she had landed a Grey's Anatomy pay raise of $575K/per episode amounting to $20M annually to become the highest paid television actress in a drama series.
Getting what she deserves! It all worked out in the end as in that same article she revealed that she had landed a Grey's Anatomy pay raise of $575K/per episode amounting to $20M annually to become the highest paid television actress in a drama series
