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Ellen Pompeo Says Farewell to Grey’s Anatomy, Insists ‘The Show Must Go On’
Thursday, November 17th, 2022
“I’ll definitely be back to visit.”
Ladies and gents, Meredith Grey has left the building. In case the midseason finale of Grey’s Anatomy — in which Mer resigned her position, made plans to move to Boston and saw the house she’s called home for years catch fire — didn’t drive home the point, the primetime soap’s titular heroine is outta there.
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Going into season 19, we were warned that both Meredith and portrayer Ellen Pompeo would be making limited appearances. And in her November 17th Instagram post, the actress basically made her departure official.
“I am eternally grateful and humbled by the love and support you have all shown me, Meredith Grey and the show for 19 seasons,” she wrote. “Through it all… none of it… would have been possible without the best fans in the world.
“You all are riders, and you all have made the ride so fun and iconic,” she continued. “I love you madly and appreciate you right back. This isn’t your first time on the roller coaster. You know the show must go on, and I’ll definitely be back to visit.”
It’s a safe bet that executives at ABC will be keeping a close eye on ratings for the show to see if Pompeo’s exit has a negative impact when it returns on February 23. So far, this season has seen the primetime soap working hard to reinvent itself, having introduced a slew of new interns — and, by extension, storylines — including the addition of Niko Terho as Dr. Lucas Adams, the nephew of the late, much-loved Dr. Derek Shepherd.
Ever wondered who the real-life loves of your favorite Grey’s Anatomy characters are? Well, wonder no more… simply check out the photo-filled gallery below!
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Image: Kevin Mazur/Getty
1/26
<p><em>Grey’s Anatomy</em> star Ellen Pompeo has been married to music producer Chris Ivery since 2007. The twosome has three kids: Sienna, Stella, and Eli.</p>
Image: Howard Wise/JPI
2/26
<p>Wilson has been in a relationship with her significant other for over 30 years and they share three children: Sarina, Joylin, and Michael. The star has kept her beau’s name out of the media to protect their privacy.</p>
Image: WireImage/Getty
3/26
<p><em>Grey’s Anatomy’s</em> former “McDreamy” Patrick Dempsey married Jillian Fink in 1999. They have three children: a daughter, Tallula and twin boys, Sullivan and Darby. The pair nearly called it off in 2015 but later reconciled.</p>
Image: Jill Johnson/JPI
4/26
<p>Chambers, whose character Karev left Seattle to reunite with his former partner Izzy, married his wife Keisha in 1993. He and the former model have five children together: Isabella, twins Maya and Kaila, Eva, and Jackson.</p>
Image: AFP via Getty Images
5/26
<p>Yang was Meredith Grey’s “person” and was played by Sandra Oh. Oh’s person is Russian artist Lev Rukhin, the man she’s been dating for several years. She was previously married to director/screenwriter/producer Alexander Payne.</p>
Image: WireImage/Getty
6/26
<p>One of<em> Grey’s Anatomy</em> original characters, Izzy Stevens exited the series when Heigl left in 2010. Three years prior to that, the actress married her husband, singer/songwriter Josh Kelley. They have three children: Nancy, Adalaide, and Joshua.</p>
Image: FilmMagic/Getty
7/26
<p>James Pickens Jr, who plays <em>Grey’s Anatomy’s</em> esteemed Dr. Richard Webber, has been married to his wife Gina since 1984. They have two children together: Gavyn and Carl.</p>
Image: Stefanie Keenan/Getty Images
8/26
<p><em>Grey’s Anatomy’s</em> beloved OG character, George, may have died many seasons ago, but he keeps popping up, most recently in the beach scenes when Meredith was hospitalized with Covid. Knight, who remains a fan favorite, married his partner, ballet dancer/writer, Patrick Leahy, back in 2013.</p>
Image: Getty Images
9/26
<p>Maggie’s married to Winston on <em>Grey’s Anatomy</em>, and offscreen, McCreary married her husband Pete Chatmon, who she met on set, in 2019. They have one child together.</p>
Image: Stefanie Keenan/Getty Images
10/26
<p>Capshaw married entrepreneur Christopher Gavigan back in 2004, well before joining <em>Grey’s Anatomy</em> in 2009, where she later became part of the iconic Arizona and Callie pairing. Capshaw and Gavigan have four children together: Eve, Luke, Poppy, and Josephine.</p>
Image: FilmMagic/Getty Images
11/26
<p><em>Grey’s</em> Dr. McSteamy, Mark Sloan, was played by Eric Dane. Offscreen, the actor was married to soap alum Rebecca Gayheart, who played Hannah Mayberry on <em>Loving</em>. Though she filed for divorce in 2018, she hasn’t followed through with it, and the pair have been together in vacation photos with their kids, both this year and last. So it’s kind of an “are they or aren’t they?” situation.</p>
Image: Getty Images
12/26
<p>Jo hasn’t been so lucky in love, but Luddington has been happily married to actor Matthew Alan since 2019. The pair has two children together: Hayden and Lucas.</p>
Image: Getty Images
13/26
<p>Raver is married both on and off-screen. While Teddy’s with Owen (albeit in a sometimes contentious union), Kim wed director Manu Boyer in 2000. They have two sons, Luke and Leo.</p>
Image: FilmMagic/Getty Images
14/26
<p>Leigh, who left <em>Grey’s Anatomy</em> when her character Lexie tragically died following a plane crash, married actor Nathan West in 2002. The pair has three children: Noah, Taelyn, and Anniston.</p>
Image: Angela Weiss/Getty Images
15/26
<p>Washington, who played renowned surgeon Dr. Preston Burke from 2005 – 2007 and returned in a 2014 episode, has been married to Jenisa Garland since 1996. The couple share three children: Tyme, Iman, and Isaiah Jr.</p>
Image: Getty Images
16/26
<p>Gianniotti tried his luck with none other than Meredith Grey as <em>Grey’s Anatomy’s</em> Deluca, and it didn’t pan out. In real life, the actor is married to hair and make-up artist Nichole Gustafson. The good-looking duo tied the knot in 2019.</p>
Image: WireImage/Getty
17/26
<p>Flood’s time on <em>Grey’s</em> wasn’t as long as some fans would have liked, but Hayes was an interesting character during his run. Off-screen, he is married to American-Italian actress Gabriella Pession. The happy couple has one son, Giulio.</p>
Image: ABC via Getty Images
18/26
<p>Link didn’t fare so well in his relationship with Amelia, but there’s still <a href="https://soaps.sheknows.com/soaps/news/648055/greys-anatomy-spoilers-jo-link-get-together-risk-love/" target="_blank">hope for Link and Jo</a>! In real-life, Carmack is married to Erin Slaver. The two wed in 2018 and have two daughters, Kai and Cielle.</p>
Image: Getty Images for Disney
19/26
<p>The transplant surgeon who seems destined to get back together with Meredith on <em>Grey’s Anatomy</em> is played by well-known actor Scott Speedman. He welcomed his first child, a daughter named Pfeiffer, with partner Lindsay Rae Hoffman in 2021. The pair began dating in 2017.</p>
Image: Getty Images
20/26
<p>Another character that was unlucky in love on <em>Grey’s</em>, Koracick ultimately lost Teddy to Owen. Happily, in real life, Germann has been married to his beautiful wife Martha Champlin since 2013. He has a son, Asa, from his previous marriage to Christine Mourad.</p>
Image: Getty Images
21/26
<p>While Catherine has Richard Webber, Debbie Allen has Norm Nixon, the former pro basketball player she married in 1984. They have three children together: Norman Jr., DeVaughan, and Vivian.</p>
Image: FilmMagic/Getty
22/26
<p>Morgan portrayed the unforgettable Denny on <em>Grey’s Anatomy</em> from 2006 – 2009. Though he was divorced from his first wife Anya by then, in 2019 he remarried. Morgan and Hilarie Burton of <em>One Tree Hill</em> fame tied the knot after 5 years of dating.</p>
Image: Getty Images
23/26
<p>Kate Burton played the inimitable Ellis, mother of Meredith Grey and ex-lover of Richard Webber on the ABC series. Off-screen, Burton has been married to director Michael Ritchie since 1985. They have two children: Morgan and Charlotte.</p>
Image: WireImage/Getty
24/26
<p>Though he was only on <em>Grey’s</em> from 2010 – 2012, Henry left an impression on fans. Foley, who was previously married to Jennifer Garner, is now wed to Marika Dominczyk, who played Dr. Eliza Minnick on the show from 2016 – 2017. They have three children: Malina, Keller, and Konrad.</p>
Image: Getty Images
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