Ellen Pompeo Tells Drew Barrymore She Left ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Because Her Brain Turned Into “Scrambled Eggs”: “I Gotta Do Something New”

Ellen Pompeo stopped by The Drew Barrymore Show today, where she opened up about her shocking decision to finally leave Grey’s Anatomy after nearly two decades.

The actress, who has starred as Meredith Grey in the long-running medical drama since its first season, announced last month that she would be leaving the show, with her final episode airing in February 2023. When Drew Barrymore asked about her decision, Pompeo revealed she feels “super happy.”

“The show has been incredible to me and I love a lot of the experience,” she said. “I gotta mix it up a little bit. I’m 53. My brain is like scrambled eggs. I gotta do something new … You know, you can’t do The New York Times crossword puzzle every single day.”

She continued, “I mean, 19 years is longer than people keep their kids in their house. People keep their kids in their house until they’re 18 and then they send them to college. So this is like me going away to college.”

Barrymore went on to praise Pompeo for “sticking up for women” and for having “changed the industry for women with demanding equal pay.” Despite portraying the show’s titular role, the actress previously spoke out about the double standard in an interview with Variety, where she revealed that co-star Patrick Dempsey was receiving “double” her pay until the third season.

“You made this risk so personal but you made it bigger than you and that’s why everybody rallied around you,” Barrymore, who admitted she’s “in awe of” Pompeo, said. “You stayed on that show, you got paid more, you changed the game for other women. You became more successful, more respected, and in a way, you made your publicist’s job easier because you won the battle.”

However, Pompeo revealed that while many people did rally around her, it was those who were in her inner circle who stayed mum — including her Grey’s Anatomy peers.

“So many people not in my inner circle reached out to me. The people directly around me? It was quiet as a mouse on set that day. You could’ve heard a pin drop,” she revealed. “So when your life does change, when you are courageous and fearless and speak out, don’t expect everybody to stand up and cheer for you. Because they don’t.”

The Drew Barrymore Show airs on weekdays at 9:30 a.m. ET on CBS.