‘Grey’s Anatomy’ without Grey? Ellen Pompeo to have reduced role in show, reports say

Ellen Pompeo, who has starred as Meredith Grey on ABC’s “Grey’s Anatomy” for nearly two decades, will have a reduced role in the series’ upcoming season, reports say.

Pompeo will continue to narrate the hit drama, but will only appear in eight episodes of the upcoming 19th season, Deadline reported.

She has been the central figure in the hospital drama during its entirety, which includes 400 episodes.

The decision to scale back Pompeo’s role on the series is so Pompeo can star in another role — an untitled Hulu limited series, Variety reported.

“In the untitled show, a Midwestern couple adopts what they believe is an 8-year-old girl with a rare form of dwarfism. But as they begin to raise her alongside their three biological children, they slowly start to believe she may not be who she says she is,” Variety said of the upcoming series. “As they question her story, they’re confronted with hard questions of their own about the lengths they’re willing to go to defend themselves, falling into a battle that’s fought in the tabloids, the courtroom, and ultimately their marriage.”

It’s unclear whether Season 19 will be Pompeo’s final season on “Grey’s Anatomy.”

Shonda Rhimes, the creator of “Grey’s Anatomy,” said in 2017 the series would not continue without Pompeo.

“Ellen and I have a pact that I’m going to do the show as long as she’s going to do the show,” Rhimes told E! News. “So the show will exist as long as both of us want to do it. If she wants to stop, we’re stopping. So I don’t know if we’ll see 600, but I want to keep it feeling fresh. As long as there are fresh stories to tell and as long as we’re both excited about the stories being told, we’re in. So, we’ll see where that takes us.”

This story was originally published August 3, 2022 at 1:00 PM.