Ellen Pompeo signs $20 million deal to stay with Grey’s Anatomy two more seasons, reveals how Patrick Dempsey affected past negotiations

The Hollywood Reporter

Pompeo’s new deal will make her TV’s highest-paid drama actress and keep her on the ABC series for Seasons 15 and 16 while also making her a producer. According to The Hollywood Reporter, she’ll make “$575,000 per episode, along with a seven-figure signing bonus and two full backend equity points on the series, estimated to bring in another $6 million to $7 million. She also will get a producing fee plus backend on this spring's Grey's spinoff as well as put pilot commitments and office space for her Calamity Jane production company on Disney's Burbank lot.” In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter about her new deal, Pompeo recalled her past battles for pay: “For me, Patrick (Dempsey) leaving the show (in 2015) was a defining moment, deal-wise,” she said. “They could always use him as leverage against me — ‘We don't need you; we have Patrick’ — which they did for years. 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. 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. 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. So, what does it look like when he leaves the show? First, it looks like a ratings spike, and I had a nice chuckle about that. But the truth is, the ink wasn't even dry on his exit papers before they rushed in a new guy”: Martin Henderson.