Ellen Pompeo has been known and loved on our screens since her first appearance in 2005 as Meredith Grey in Grey’s Anatomy.
In 2022, after stepping back from her role in Grey’s Anatomy, Ellen shared that her main focus was her family and spending more time with her children.
“I have three kids and so I take care of them, and it’s really important for me to be around for them and be more present for them,” she told Drew Barrymore.
One of the highest-paid women actors on TV, we have put together everything to know about Ellen Pompeo.
ELLEN POMPEO’S CAREER
Ellen moved to New York City in 1995 and was discovered by a casting director whilst she was working at a bar, this led to several commercials before she landed her first television role in Law and Order.
After numerous roles, Ellen landed the lead as Meredith Grey in Grey’s Anatomy in 2005.
The show eventually launched her into the limelight, with the cast sharing the Screen Actors Guild Award in 2007 for outstanding performance by an ensemble in a drama series.
In 2017, she renewed her contract signing on to a two-year deal worth more than $20 million per annum, which made her one of the highest-paid actresses in television.
Later in 2022, she became one of the show’s executive producers. and then in 2023, scaled back her on-screen appearances.
After 19 seasons, Ellen and her character left the show on February 23, 2023.
“For the record, it’s not really my final,” Ellen had told Entertainment Tonight ahead of the episode. “It’s a little bit of a trick they’re playing on people.”
Speaking to Insider in December 2021, “I’ve been trying to focus on convincing everybody that it should end. 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? And everyone’s like, ‘Who cares, Ellen? It makes a gazillion dollars.’”
WHO IS ELLEN POMPEO’S HUSBAND?
Record producer and writer, Chris Ivery, 57 met Ellen in 2003 at the most unpredictable place – a grocery store!
The pair realised they had grown up within 16 km of each other in Boston but never met until they lived in California, “We were six degrees our whole lives, so I feel like we were sort of meant to be,” Ellen shared to People in 2006.
Their relationship started as a friendship as Chris shared in 2006 to People, “We were friends for six months. Then one night she just looked different to me.”
After four years of dating the pair were married in 2007 at New York City Hall.
After working in the music business for 25 years, Chris joined the fashion industry in 2019, relaunching the Sergio Tacchini label in Los Angeles – the STLA Collection.
“He’s been in the music business for 25 years and he changed careers at 50. And he killed it,” Ellen had shared with Us Weekly. “I mean, knocked it out of the park. It’s amazing! So for anybody who feels they’re stuck, you can change your career at any age.”
ELLEN POMPEO FAMILY
While the actress has generally kept her family life private, she has shared glimpses of it from time to time.
In a 2016 interview with People, Ellen the importance of role models, explaining that she intentionally exposes her daughters to “beautiful, powerful, strong Black women,” whether through magazines or TV.
“My daughters are Black so it’s very important to me that they see a lot of images of beautiful, powerful, strong Black women. Every time there is a Black woman on a magazine cover, whether it is Kerry Washington or whoever it is, I make sure that magazine is in my house and on my table. For me, that’s super important.”
On September 15, 2009, the pair welcomed their first daughter, Stella Luna, who is now aged 15.
Five years later in 2014, born via surrogate, Ellen and Chris welcomed their second daughter Sienna May, now aged 10.
In 2016, they welcomed their son Eli Christopher.
“Chris Ivery just fell a notch. I’ve got a new guy,” Ellen captioned a photo of Eli.
