While her apparent wish for "Grey's Anatomy" to end, as well as her shift in focus to other entertainment endeavors, were clear hints that Ellen Pompeo was ready to leave the show, more concrete indicators are out there. One of the most telling of the bunch stems from late 2020 when she shared the status of her "Grey's Anatomy" contract. Pompeo revealed that it was approaching its final year and that it wasn't out of the question that the program would come to an end soon.
"I mean, this is the last year of my contract right now. I don't know that this is the last year? But it could very well could be," Pompeo told Variety at the time. As we now know years after this interview was published, "Grey's Anatomy" still has a bit left in the tank. Although, with Pompeo gone, time will tell just how long it manages to stick around. Aware of this, she added, "I don't take the decision lightly [about leaving]. We employ a lot of people, and we have a huge platform. And I'm very grateful for it."
