Is Ellen Pompeo Returning to 'Grey's Anatomy' for Season 23 Amid Cast Exits?
Grey's Anatomy has been through many surprise cast shakeups - and more are expected to happen in the future - but is Ellen Pompeo planning to return as Meredith amid her new TV role?
The medical drama, which premiered in 2005, is focused on the personal and professional lives of surgical interns, residents and attendings at the fictional Seattle Grace Hospital a.k.a Seattle Grace Mercy West Hospital a.k.a Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital.
Pompeo, 56, played Meredith Grey since the show debuted and as a result, got to explore a multitude of shocking onscreen story lines. The biggest surprise, however, was when Pompeo announced in 2022 that she was going to take a reduced role on Grey's Anatomy in season 19.
"I'm going to always be a part of that show," she told Deadline at the time. "I'm an executive producer. I spent two decades of my career on [Grey's Anatomy] - it's my heart and soul. I'll never truly be gone as long as [it's] on the air."
Pompeo continued to executive produce and narrate every episode but her onscreen appearances decreased significantly. The decision came after Pompeo made headlines in December 2021 for saying she'd "been trying to focus on convincing everybody that [Grey's] should end."
During an interview with Insider, she noted, "I feel like I'm the super naive one who keeps saying, ‘But what's the story going to be, what story are we going to tell?' Everyone's like, ‘Who cares, Ellen? It makes a gazillion dollars.'"
Pompeo also hinted at the time that she was trying to figure out how Grey'scould survive without her.
"Shonda [Rhimes] and I, I think - we'll see, we'll see," told Entertainment Tonight about whether the show will last without her down the line. "Trying to reinvent the show and continually trying to reinvent the show is the challenge at this point."
In more recent seasons, Meredith has been featured more and fans even got to see a major milestone when she agreed to marry Dr. Nick Marsh (Scott Speedman) in the season 22 finale. While there has been no official word about how involved Pompeo will be in season 23, she is expected to return as Meredith's life keeps intertwining with those at the hospital.
However, there has been concern since due to the nature of the show, Grey's Anatomy has become known for its wild twists that often result in cast exits. Cost-cutting efforts have also been affecting scripted TV across the board recently as more shows continue to reduce screen time for main cast members - with Kim Raver and Kevin McKidd being the latest shocking departures.
Plus, Pompeo has a new role in Hulu's Chicks. The family comedy drama is based on an original idea from writer Katie Robbins, who developed the concept "specifically" for Pompeo. It was inspired by conversations between the two on the set of their first show together, Hulu's Good American Family.
"Chicks is set in the rapidly gentrifying neighborhoods of old Boston. It follows Chickie (Pompeo) and Doreen, two estranged half-sisters who are both struggling to get by when their wise guy dad unexpectedly kicks the bucket," read the official synopsis. "Their only inheritance is a legacy of two-bit crime that inspires them to run increasingly audacious frauds. As their con grows, so does their odd-couple bond, as they each start to fill the father-shaped hole in the other's heart."
Production on Chicks would likely begin in September in New York.
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This story was originally published June 4, 2026 at 3:45 PM.