Ellen Pompeo Opens Up About Salary Disparity on Grey’s Anatomy
Ellen Pompeo, best known for her role as Dr. Meredith Grey on the hit medical drama Grey’s Anatomy, has been making headlines for her impressive $20 million a year contract. However, this wasn’t always the case for the talented actress.
When Grey’s Anatomy first premiered in 2005, Pompeo was a relatively new face in Hollywood, while her co-star Patrick Dempsey, who played Dr. Derek “McDreamy” Shepherd, was already a well-established actor. This difference in experience was reflected in their initial salaries, with Dempsey earning $350,000 per episode compared to Pompeo’s $200,000 per episode.
In a recent interview on the Call Me Daddy podcast, Pompeo candidly discussed the salary disparity, expressing her frustration at not being valued as much as her co-star. She acknowledged that Dempsey’s status as a bigger star at the time warranted his higher paycheck, but felt that her contributions to the show were not being adequately recognized.
Pompeo made it clear that her issue was not with Dempsey personally, but rather with the industry’s tendency to undervalue female actors. She emphasized that as the namesake of the show, she believed she deserved equal pay and recognition for her work.
Despite the initial disparity, Pompeo’s perseverance and talent have since paid off, with her renegotiated contract making her one of the highest-paid actresses on television. Her journey from a newcomer to a powerhouse in Hollywood serves as an inspiring example of advocating for equal pay and standing up for one’s worth in the industry.
