Grey's Anatomy boss reacts to Ellen Pompeo hinting she may leave after next season

Deadline

"You know, if you look back over the years, Ellen has said some version of that many times," showrunner Krista Vernoff said when Deadline asked about Pompeo's recent Entertainment Weekly interview hinting that she may exit after Season 16. "Ellen, one of the most palpable powerful things about her is her restlessness. You feel her restlessness in life and you feel her restlessness on camera and so her constant challenge to me is to dig in and reinvent. She wants to change it up. I don’t know whether it was actually her intention to hint that the end of the show is coming or whether or not that was a headline that somebody else ran with, but it’s not a conversation that I’ve been a part of. I’m doing what I do, and when Ellen and Shonda (Rhimes) and ABC all sit me down together and say start building the end, I will believe it. But until then you know I hear that as Ellen being Ellen. Ellen is restless in the best way. She’s constantly putting forth a challenge, and I love picking up that gauntlet and trying to meet her there." ALSO: Could Grey's disappointing Season 15 premiere ratings signal the end of the line?