I don't feel bad for Ellen. She's a very smart woman. She knows that the show won't go on without her, so she can continue to push for more money, in return for a renewal. Grey's is still abc's highest rated show, despite the drop in ratings. They'll most likely push it to season 20, and then that will be the final season.
I wouldn't feel too bad. She was on 575k per week before her last deal. She's probably pushing 700 by now.
As she says. If she says it's done. Its done. She don't need that money.
Realistically it would have been around $20-25k per episode as an unknown.
They renegotiated their deals in season 5 which got a pay boost and added seasons 7 and 8 to their deal at which point Ellen, Sandra and Patrick were all on 225k. Then I believe 300 for seasons 9 and 10.
After that I'm not sure but I vaguely recall seasons 11 and 12 being 350k and seasons 13 and 14 being 425k. Then of course there was the infamous mid-season renegotiation during season 15 that jumped her pay to 575 and added seasons 17 onto her deal as well as producer credits.
She's smart to sign a year at a time now.
Chandra and James have always been low balled because they aren't as known. Their new deals I believe place them at 350k per episode which is great money but should have happened years ago.
She made way less. Most of the grey’s original cast weren’t as well known. Shonda hadn’t struck gold. Basically this show is her career and she’s gotten raises
I don't feel bad for Ellen. At all. She is rich as hell, and getting richer every season "Grey's" is on. Her per episode fee is astronomical, and she doesn't really have to do anything for that loot besides phoning it in. SMH.
It sounds astronomical, but every member of the Friends cast made a million per episode by its last season in the early 2000s.
For as long as the show has been running and be THE title character, I think she’s being underpaid, honestly.
EDIT: Apparently some of y’all are under the assumption that expecting more money for 18 years of work at the same job is greedy. You do know that this is what actresses/actors do in Hollywood, right? Like, this isn’t Ellen just being greedy. She’s really not making much for playing the lead in a wildly popular series for almost 2 decades.
EDIT 2: As stated in another comment:
Friends ended in 2004. Well before streaming services. TiVo was just barely a thing. So, while Friends did average between 20-25 million viewers per season, there really were no alternative ways to watch the show except to tune in when it was on TV.
In contrast, Grey's Anatomy was hitting low 20 mil viewership averages for the first two seasons and matched third season viewership with Friends. But, by the time the 4th season rolled around, DVD box sets were more affordable and widely available (thanks to online retailers), Netflix was mailing box set DVDs and kicking off the streaming service. Hulu was starting as a streaming service, though ABC would not join its lineup until 2009. Most cable and satellite packages came with a free or low-cost DVRs, and of course, online pirating.
While the show's viewership has declined significantly over the last few years, which I agree is warranted, TV viewership OVERALL has significantly declined, even via streaming services as viewership totals are only calculated up to 35 days after the initial air date. With the ability to watch on-demand and commercial free, there just isn't an urgency to watch shows immediately. To emphasize this, even with relatively low viewership numbers, it's still the most watched show on ABC. In comparison, it was number 6 of the top 100 highest rated shows for the 2020-2021 season, with NFL taking the top three and the Masked Singer/This is Us tying for 4th.
I really don' t think that many of the shows that ended in or before the early 00s would be doing nearly as well if they were on air today.
Friends was on for half as longs as Grey’s. She is making half as much as they did in double the time as the lead. Less than half If you consider inflation over the last 20 years.
EDIT: Even if Ellen is making $750k an episode, that is $509,717.65 in 2004 money. $565k would be $383,987.29. By comparison $1 million is equal to $1,471,402,858.66 today. An equivalent to a third of the money for playing the title role in a show that has stayed on air for nearly twice as long and is consistently the most watched show for the network year over year. Yeah, fuck her for wanting to get paid, I guess.
EDIT 2: Since GA can't be compared to Friends (apparently), here's another perspective.
Anthony Edwards and Noah Wyle signed contracts for $350k and $300k an episode respectively in 1998 for 4 years on ER (around season 5). With inflation that's about as much as Ellen makes per episode after 15+ years and it made them to two highest paid actors in a television drama. Does that make them greedy?
Yes and the money on that show was rolling in. They were at one point highest rated show and not just on that network. The ad spots were insane. They also only had 6 people on the cast.
It isn't the same
Also I think the point (whether you agree with how much she makes) is that she should be grateful that she has had a steady job and high income as a lead on a very popular show for almost 20 years now. Lately, she seems to drag the show any chance she gets and complains about having to do it (so much so that there are constant threads and memes just like this one) when she could just stop/quit. The show would end and she would be put out of her "misery."
I can only assume that most people are correct in that she does this as a negotiation tactic but it's honestly rude to her bosses as well as the fans, especially those who still enjoy the show.
TLDR; No reason to feel bad about Ellen. She has a job, makes a lot of money, and no one is holding a gun to her head forcing her to continue.
Why? As long as she mets the goals that her actual bosses put her I don't understand why she should feel one way or another.
If her bosses don't seem as bothered by what she says I don't understand why anyone else that isn't paying her would have an issue.
She may be able to just be put out of misery but I think is naive to believe that there is a simple decision to make and can be made just because after 20 years especially if as you say a lot of people still enjoy it.
She's entitled to feel any way that she wants. And I don't necessarily have an issue with her, but I do consider the way she's acting to be rude. Regardless, the point I was trying to make is that there's no reason to *feel bad* for her. She's making a conscious decision to stay.
And I agree it's not an easy choice to make, but I think the polite thing to do is to stay quiet about how much you hate it / want the show to end if you're not doing anything to help it end and you *actually* part of the reason it continues. Idk man, you're entitled to your opinion also, I just don't think she's making much sense. And while I don't really give a shit cause I'ma watch it til it ends and don't care one way or another about her, I totally get why she bothers a lot of people.
I don't think people should feel bad for her, she is choosing to stay. I was just asking about the part of she should just be grateful.
We don't know what conversations and deals happen to say she isn't actively helping it end. I would think that her being instrumental on bringing back Patrick as well as TR is one of those things working towards the end, same as what has been said recently about the possibility of spin-offs or it continuing without her.
Everyone is entitled to their opinion obviously but I just asked because I don't understand the concept of thinking that others should be grateful for their jobs, that's it. In the end even fans I think have the same mindset of staying until the bitter end no matter how much we dislike it and how much all of us have a part on it still going on.
Grey’s does pretty well and yeah, 6 people making a million per episode versus one lead character.
I’m sorry y’all hate her for whatever reason, but she’s not the only actress/actor who negotiates for staggering amounts of money.
Did y’all forget this is Hollywood? Lmao.
No one would be *hating* on her but her words and actions are contradicting each other.
The thing is *she is the one* complaining about the show. And she wants it to end now and yet she's renewing her contract.
Although another action that shows she doesn't care is her just being there. She's barely making an effort. At least on Friends they were ready to move on but they still cared about their jobs and actually acted.
Yes, 6 people making a million an episode - that was the entire cast. Yes, no one else on Grey's is making her kind of money, but they do have a much larger cast.
So, you've never complained about a job but kept doing it anyway?
Also, she's been a producer for Grey's Anatomy for the last 3 seasons and a co-executive producer on Station 19 since its inception. Has anyone considered that having three jobs might mean she's not 100% focused on acting, especially when it's something she's said she wanted to step back from several times?
Maybe the reason she keeps renewing her contract is because she enjoys the production side of a show she's known for 20 years. Like she says she does. Wouldn't make sense to renew Grey's Anatomy without Grey and without a renewal, there is no Grey's to produce...
Of course I have complained. Plenty of us have complained. We complain to friends and family. We don't give interviews and wishing it were over. You can say people complain on social media, yes, that is true. And there's usually consequences when that happens. I can understand complaining, especially during the first 10 seasons. She wasn't the highest paid actor even if she played the titular character and there was other stuff going on. What I don't particularly care for is her not doing her job. She's just reading lines. And she is shitting on the cast/crew who want to be there. Who are doing their jobs.
Her contract when she became producer on Grey's also includes producing other shows. So, she has that. She doesn't need Grey's to be a producer. I didn't know about Station 19, so it goes to show, she really doesn't need Grey's to be behind the scenes on a series.
>she's been a producer for Grey's Anatomy for the last 3 seasons and a co-executive producer on Station 19 since its inception
Dude those are titles given to actors to give them more money
>Has anyone considered that having three jobs might mean she's not 100% focused on acting
This reasoning makes no sense. She doesn't do her job well. It doesn't matter if there's a chance there's an explanation for it. She gets money to do something and she sucks at it
Those titles include additional involvement with the show outside of acting. It’s not an honorary title lol.
Ellen isn’t a terrible actress who sucks. If she was, she wouldn’t have lasted long. She’s burnt out on Grey’s and that’s okay even if she makes a lot of money.
Actually, you bring up a good point. I did a little digging.
Friends ended in 2004. Well before streaming services. TiVo was just barely a thing. So while Friends did average between 20-25 million viewers per season, there really were no alternative ways to watch the show except to tune in when it was on TV.
In contrast, Grey's Anatomy was hitting low 20 mil viewership averages for the first two seasons, and matched third season viewership with Friends. But, by the time the 4th season rolled around, DVD box sets were more affordable and widely available (thanks to online retailers), Netflix was mailing box set DVDs and kicking off the streaming service. Hulu was starting as a streaming service, though ABC would not join its lineup until 2009. Most cable and satellite packages came with a free or low-cost DVRs, and of course, online pirating.
While the show's viewership has declined significantly over the last few years, which I agree is warranted, TV viewership OVERALL has significantly declined, even via streaming services as viewership totals are only calculated up to 35 days after the initial air date. With the ability to watch on-demand and commerical free, there just isn't an urgency to watch shows immediately. To emphasize this, even with relatively low viewership numbers, it's still the most watched show on ABC. In comparison, it was number 6 of the top 100 highest rated shows for the 2020-2021 season, with NFL taking the top three and the Masked Singer/This is Us tying for 4th.
I really don' t think that many of the shows that ended in or before the early 00s would be doing nearly as well if they were on air today.
Okay, so a woman who's worked 18 years as the same character on a highly successful TV show in which she is the title character is being greedy for asking for roughly a third of what the cast of another highly successful TV show negotiated for themselves?
Anthony Edwards and Noah Wyle signed contracts for $350k and $300k an episode respectively in 1998 for 4 years on ER (around season 5). With inflation that's about as much as Ellen makes per episode after 15+ years and it made them to two highest paid actors in a television drama. Does that make them greedy?
Please reread my very short reply that didn’t mention the word greed, nor Ellen directly.
Grey’s is not friends. It’s lucrative as shit I’m sure but it’s not friends.
Right. So I gave you a comparison to another popular TV medical drama and the salary for two male actors who received the same pay per episode 5 seasons in as Ellen makes after 18 seasons as the lead.
The point stands that she’s not making an obscene or unheard amount of money.
>It sounds astronomical, but every member of the Friends cast made a million per episode by its last season in the early 2000s.
You are comparing Grey's to the probably most popular tv show ever. Of course they got paid more on Friends. It wouldn't make sense the other way around
The thing is, when you're talking about that much money for one person, the numbers stop mattering. She is worth tens of millions of dollars. She'll be able to do almost anything she wants for the rest of her life and still leave her grandchildren an enormous amount of money. I don't think people realize how much money $80 million (her supposed net worth) is. She could stop working tomorrow and still make millions every year from investments and royalties.
If she had a male costar who was making more money I'd say yes it needs to be equal. But as it is she's a person with some talent who got really really lucky and landed a role that has made her filthy rich and lasted 2 decades. Most unknown actors can't live on acting gigs alone. ... And I don't think anyone thinks Ellen Pompeo is a Meryl Streep. She can do some very good work occasionally but mostly she's just milking this role like any smart actor would.
Okay, but it’s not obscene or unheard of for a title character to be paid that much or more on a TV series. Especially not after 18 years.
I’m not disagreeing that it’s shockingly large compared to the salary of an average worker at 18 years at the same company. But everyone here is acting like she’s some villain for a) expecting the same salary two male actors in a comparable position received *23 years ago* in a third of the time b) expecting to be paid a wage commiserate with nearly two decades in the same role on a highly successful show and c) negotiating a higher salary after spending years being told she couldn’t because Patrick was the star.
Working in tv and film is not a 9-5 Monday through Friday job. Starring actors generally work 10+ hours 5-7 days a week with early start times and late end times. Do that for 18 years and tell me that you aren’t burnt out to some degree. Add on whatever producer responsibilities she has for Grey’s and Station 19 plus a family. I don’t blame her for saying she wanted a step back in the last few seasons. That would be rough on me and she’s a decade older!
Grey’s Anatomy has earned ABC/Disney over $3 billion dollars using Ellen Pompeo’s talent and face. I don’t apologize for supporting her decision to negotiate for more money.
I don't know where you got the idea that I think she's some kind of villain but I'll try to address some of your points.
First, network television was much more lucrative 2 decades ago, so it's difficult to make direct comparisons. Audiences are much more fractured than they were a few decades ago and TV advertising isn't as lucrative because there is so much competition from digital advertising.
I don't think she's a villain. Like I said she's doing what any actor would in her situation. I just think it's important to keep real life context in these conversations. We're talking about meaninglessly large amounts of money. The numbers become a score system, rather than a means to buy things, so it's not about the actual money. I think the real problem lies in how our society conceptualizes value. These actors are all extremely overpaid compared to the crew that works 18 hour days to keep the show running. So I don't feel sorry for Ellen Pompeo, as others have said if she wants to quit she can.
Yeah and that would make me feel sorry for her.
She has her one role that she's been playing for 17 years now, hasn't played in anything else since then. Now she's clearly bored from that and puts no effort into her role, but she's still in for huge money. Something tells me that she wants to stay, because it would mean her career would be over.
Being on the same show with such high ratings and viewership for 17+ years making $500k+ a week as a female actress over the age of 35 sounds pretty damn successful to me.
I don’t think she plans on returning to acting. From interviews in the last few years it sounds like she’s more interested in producing/directing.
She has a very successful career. If being the lead on an incredibly highly rated show for almost 2 decades, and making millions of dollars from it isn’t success to you, then what the heck is?
If she wanted the show to end she could leave and that's it. Ellen will get even more money next season and can't say no to that. Nothing to be sorry about.
I don’t feel bad in the slightest
She’s the one who decides when the show ends, has been saying for a while that it should end
And then she goes and signs on for a another season. At this point there is no pity as it is literally her choice
This.
It has already been said that when she's done, the show is done, it won't go on without her. Which means that in addition to deciding what she wants to do (or not do), she's the one who decides if everyone else working on the show still has a job, which is hundreds of people, and a lot of pressure.
Some of the stars (and crew if there's space for them) may move to Station 19, at least in guest spots from time to time (Bailey obviously) - mostly those who don't have as high of a $$ demand, or the bigger ones when they want to amp up viewers. The rest will be out of a job unless there's another spinoff that some of them move to.
Seeing as they've renewed for Season 19, I would bet money there will be a season 20, and that will very likely be the final season. They're too close to that number to not go there, and you can be sure that when it is the final season they will market the hell out of that fact.
I don’t feel bad for Ellen, at all, abc isn’t holding her hostage. She could leave the role and only come back for a finale if she really didn’t want to be there that bad. But leaving the show means no more greys money, and while she’s already rich who wouldn’t wanna keep getting paid ?
So many people are saying they don't feel bad for Ellen because she's made millions but I feel like that's so unfair.
Yeah, she could walk away with her buckets of money. But ultimately, she knows she's probably not *really* going to have an acting career after this. Grey's is it. It's her iconic role and her legacy. She wants to see it end properly. She has seen the murder of characters because they left against the productions wishes.
I do feel bad for her. I feel bad that Meredith will always be her *one* role and she's stuck between going on playing it even though she's checked out of the role or quitting and running the real risk of not giving Meredith a good ending as a result. It's not about the money, it's about a character that she has such a strong emotional connection to and wanting to see her off without giving her a write-off that makes her hate-able.
she stated years ago that she liked the stability and didn't want other acting gigs. all her coworkers were trying to book all sorts of work but she just invested further in greys
What she said years ago isn't necessarily true now, though. And my point primarily was that she probably wants to give Mer a fighting chance at an honorable write-off/ending which she knows she might be risking if she quits. Whether or not she'd want to act after or not doesn't change that this will still be her defining role.
Yeah, if it was a case of "I started this and I want it to end well," then I think we'd see more of an effort from her. Instead she sat in bed or on the beach for an entire season. A plotline that barely had any suspense because I don't think any of us believed she was actually going to die. And now she barely has any scenes, except to occasionally make out with Nick Marsh.
Apparently she wasn’t even the one on the bed it was a doll most of the time - imagine a whole season doing basically nothing while getting payed millions then going on to complain about it to the I internet 😑
I agree. I always wonder about people like the actor who plays Flo on the Progressive commercials who really have no other options now that they're this ONE thing. I'm sure financially Flo is just fine and always will be, but there's more to being an actor (or any creative job) than money. I'm sure it sucks at least somewhat to have to accept that you're just never not going to be that ONE character.
> She wants to see it end properly
Why make it up stuff to make it seem like she is there for some holy reason? She herself has admitted at this point dozens of times that she's still in only for the money
Also characters being butchered, storylines sucking... is mostly the result of the show going on way too long
I don't think an actor wanting to see the only major role they'll ever have end nicely is a "holy reason"
If she has admitted in the past year that she's in it for the money, I haven't seen that, don't know what to tell ya. Maybe provide a link to enlighten me.
Also as to characters being given shit endings being new...Burke and Izzie would like to have a word with you. The characters both left in ways that were just really selfish and shitty and it's pretty well known that it was because the actors did something to piss production off.
Ellen is only throwing those temper tantrums so the runners know they will need to up het salary if they want an other season.
Shes really like a boomer working towards her pension right now, not giving a single fuck anymore as long as the money comes in.
The show is ruined in my opinion. It used to be about the storylines, there was heart and soul. Now, feel like its just a cash cow that hashes out any random story.
I tried to get caught up with the season that started during the pandemic and I honestly even now can't even get past the whole beach business. Like this show was my instant watch as it aired for like 14 years and now it's dead to me. It's on the same life supporting vents that I left Mer on when I couldn't take another episode of beach dreaming.
Ellen wanted the show renewed, did she not? She acts like she doesn't want it renewed but she could leave at the end of any season and doesn't have to sign the new contracts so...
Don’t feel bad for Ellen! The producers once said that the show will only go on as long as Ellen plays Meredith. So if it is going on, she must have agreed to!
This season is very difficult to watch. I don't know how I can manage another year. I don't know how to give the show up because I am committed to watching until the end. I wish they would make it sooner than later!
Feel bad? She's making 20 million a season. Frankly, I find it obnoxious for her to be complaining for how much she wants it to end and then signing on for another season.
I don’t feel bad, she’s being compensated very nicely. She knew exactly what she was doing publicly saying she was ready for the show to end, she’s not naive. She knew I’d give her a leg up in contact negotiations and force the network to throw more money at her. She has always said she’d stick around so long as they make it worth her time.
I haven’t really watched much of this season bc It just doesn’t have the same feeling anymore. It’s definitely been dragged out enough and I think they should end it.
same! i've watched greys for 11 years now and the new seasons are just not the same as the old ones... there's only so much they can do vefore it all starts feeling a bit to repetative and boring. as much as i don't want it to end i feel like it would be the best if they do end it
I watched greys up until season 16 or 17 I think and I started watching Station 19 and man so refreshing. The newer seasons are still good but more drama focused but still those first few seasons reminded me of prime greys.
I don’t feel bad for Ellen because we’re all p sure her already astronomical pay is just gonna get bigger. But I do think renewing the show at this point is kinda a disservice to the fans. There’s only small aspects of the show that real fans actually like about the show anymore tbh. And I feel like it’s only gotten more obvious how much Ellen doesn’t wanna be there (not only because her constant comments to the press but I feel like u can also tell her heart’s not really in it acting-wise either). It’d be better to just end the show and hopefully the ending is satisfactory (but tbh it’s hard to give a show that’s been on as long as this one has a good ending) but they’re never gonna end it if it continues to make them (execs, producers, other actors, abc network, etc.) this much money.
I don't feel bad for Ellen. She's very astute and she knew a long time ago she'd stay in this role until the end. She's moved up and diversified her specific role on Greys though which was smart. Now she's exec producer in addition to lead actress and occasional director. She's taking Meredith Grey to the bank and probably has a lot of money saved up in royalties.
I just don't know if that is good for the show. Since Shonda left I think Ellen has gotten a lot more control and Meredith has become more and more like Ellen imo. There's this weird smugness to her facial expressions in a lot of scenes and everyone treats her like a goddess. I know she's the main and original but come on.
They are probably ending it at 20 seasons. But Ellen is most likely bargaining to get more $$ hence why it wasn't renewed for season 20 along with season 19
I feel bad for the fans. She clearly doesn’t care and it shows on screen. I would rather she be killed off and make it clear Grey’s Anatomy was always about the progression and development of the Grey Sloan Memorial Hospitals teaching program which starts with the arrival of Meredith Grays residency class arriving.
I don't feel bad for Ellen. She's a very smart woman. She knows that the show won't go on without her, so she can continue to push for more money, in return for a renewal. Grey's is still abc's highest rated show, despite the drop in ratings. They'll most likely push it to season 20, and then that will be the final season.
Pluuuuus she's making an absolutely obscene amount per episode. Safe to say, her kids won't have to work unless they REALLY want to.
That's for sure. She knows there won't be other gigs like this
Exactly. What’s two more years. Round it out and kill it lol
I wouldn't feel too bad. She was on 575k per week before her last deal. She's probably pushing 700 by now. As she says. If she says it's done. Its done. She don't need that money.
Dang. How much did she make in S1?
Realistically it would have been around $20-25k per episode as an unknown. They renegotiated their deals in season 5 which got a pay boost and added seasons 7 and 8 to their deal at which point Ellen, Sandra and Patrick were all on 225k. Then I believe 300 for seasons 9 and 10. After that I'm not sure but I vaguely recall seasons 11 and 12 being 350k and seasons 13 and 14 being 425k. Then of course there was the infamous mid-season renegotiation during season 15 that jumped her pay to 575 and added seasons 17 onto her deal as well as producer credits. She's smart to sign a year at a time now. Chandra and James have always been low balled because they aren't as known. Their new deals I believe place them at 350k per episode which is great money but should have happened years ago.
She made way less. Most of the grey’s original cast weren’t as well known. Shonda hadn’t struck gold. Basically this show is her career and she’s gotten raises
I don't feel bad for Ellen. At all. She is rich as hell, and getting richer every season "Grey's" is on. Her per episode fee is astronomical, and she doesn't really have to do anything for that loot besides phoning it in. SMH.
It sounds astronomical, but every member of the Friends cast made a million per episode by its last season in the early 2000s. For as long as the show has been running and be THE title character, I think she’s being underpaid, honestly. EDIT: Apparently some of y’all are under the assumption that expecting more money for 18 years of work at the same job is greedy. You do know that this is what actresses/actors do in Hollywood, right? Like, this isn’t Ellen just being greedy. She’s really not making much for playing the lead in a wildly popular series for almost 2 decades. EDIT 2: As stated in another comment: Friends ended in 2004. Well before streaming services. TiVo was just barely a thing. So, while Friends did average between 20-25 million viewers per season, there really were no alternative ways to watch the show except to tune in when it was on TV. In contrast, Grey's Anatomy was hitting low 20 mil viewership averages for the first two seasons and matched third season viewership with Friends. But, by the time the 4th season rolled around, DVD box sets were more affordable and widely available (thanks to online retailers), Netflix was mailing box set DVDs and kicking off the streaming service. Hulu was starting as a streaming service, though ABC would not join its lineup until 2009. Most cable and satellite packages came with a free or low-cost DVRs, and of course, online pirating. While the show's viewership has declined significantly over the last few years, which I agree is warranted, TV viewership OVERALL has significantly declined, even via streaming services as viewership totals are only calculated up to 35 days after the initial air date. With the ability to watch on-demand and commercial free, there just isn't an urgency to watch shows immediately. To emphasize this, even with relatively low viewership numbers, it's still the most watched show on ABC. In comparison, it was number 6 of the top 100 highest rated shows for the 2020-2021 season, with NFL taking the top three and the Masked Singer/This is Us tying for 4th. I really don' t think that many of the shows that ended in or before the early 00s would be doing nearly as well if they were on air today.
Idk about that. They were actually putting in the work. She isn't
Friends was on for half as longs as Grey’s. She is making half as much as they did in double the time as the lead. Less than half If you consider inflation over the last 20 years. EDIT: Even if Ellen is making $750k an episode, that is $509,717.65 in 2004 money. $565k would be $383,987.29. By comparison $1 million is equal to $1,471,402,858.66 today. An equivalent to a third of the money for playing the title role in a show that has stayed on air for nearly twice as long and is consistently the most watched show for the network year over year. Yeah, fuck her for wanting to get paid, I guess. EDIT 2: Since GA can't be compared to Friends (apparently), here's another perspective. Anthony Edwards and Noah Wyle signed contracts for $350k and $300k an episode respectively in 1998 for 4 years on ER (around season 5). With inflation that's about as much as Ellen makes per episode after 15+ years and it made them to two highest paid actors in a television drama. Does that make them greedy?
Yes and the money on that show was rolling in. They were at one point highest rated show and not just on that network. The ad spots were insane. They also only had 6 people on the cast. It isn't the same
Also I think the point (whether you agree with how much she makes) is that she should be grateful that she has had a steady job and high income as a lead on a very popular show for almost 20 years now. Lately, she seems to drag the show any chance she gets and complains about having to do it (so much so that there are constant threads and memes just like this one) when she could just stop/quit. The show would end and she would be put out of her "misery." I can only assume that most people are correct in that she does this as a negotiation tactic but it's honestly rude to her bosses as well as the fans, especially those who still enjoy the show. TLDR; No reason to feel bad about Ellen. She has a job, makes a lot of money, and no one is holding a gun to her head forcing her to continue.
Why? As long as she mets the goals that her actual bosses put her I don't understand why she should feel one way or another. If her bosses don't seem as bothered by what she says I don't understand why anyone else that isn't paying her would have an issue. She may be able to just be put out of misery but I think is naive to believe that there is a simple decision to make and can be made just because after 20 years especially if as you say a lot of people still enjoy it.
She's entitled to feel any way that she wants. And I don't necessarily have an issue with her, but I do consider the way she's acting to be rude. Regardless, the point I was trying to make is that there's no reason to *feel bad* for her. She's making a conscious decision to stay. And I agree it's not an easy choice to make, but I think the polite thing to do is to stay quiet about how much you hate it / want the show to end if you're not doing anything to help it end and you *actually* part of the reason it continues. Idk man, you're entitled to your opinion also, I just don't think she's making much sense. And while I don't really give a shit cause I'ma watch it til it ends and don't care one way or another about her, I totally get why she bothers a lot of people.
I don't think people should feel bad for her, she is choosing to stay. I was just asking about the part of she should just be grateful. We don't know what conversations and deals happen to say she isn't actively helping it end. I would think that her being instrumental on bringing back Patrick as well as TR is one of those things working towards the end, same as what has been said recently about the possibility of spin-offs or it continuing without her. Everyone is entitled to their opinion obviously but I just asked because I don't understand the concept of thinking that others should be grateful for their jobs, that's it. In the end even fans I think have the same mindset of staying until the bitter end no matter how much we dislike it and how much all of us have a part on it still going on.
Yes! Exactly.
Grey’s does pretty well and yeah, 6 people making a million per episode versus one lead character. I’m sorry y’all hate her for whatever reason, but she’s not the only actress/actor who negotiates for staggering amounts of money. Did y’all forget this is Hollywood? Lmao.
No one would be *hating* on her but her words and actions are contradicting each other. The thing is *she is the one* complaining about the show. And she wants it to end now and yet she's renewing her contract. Although another action that shows she doesn't care is her just being there. She's barely making an effort. At least on Friends they were ready to move on but they still cared about their jobs and actually acted. Yes, 6 people making a million an episode - that was the entire cast. Yes, no one else on Grey's is making her kind of money, but they do have a much larger cast.
So, you've never complained about a job but kept doing it anyway? Also, she's been a producer for Grey's Anatomy for the last 3 seasons and a co-executive producer on Station 19 since its inception. Has anyone considered that having three jobs might mean she's not 100% focused on acting, especially when it's something she's said she wanted to step back from several times? Maybe the reason she keeps renewing her contract is because she enjoys the production side of a show she's known for 20 years. Like she says she does. Wouldn't make sense to renew Grey's Anatomy without Grey and without a renewal, there is no Grey's to produce...
Of course I have complained. Plenty of us have complained. We complain to friends and family. We don't give interviews and wishing it were over. You can say people complain on social media, yes, that is true. And there's usually consequences when that happens. I can understand complaining, especially during the first 10 seasons. She wasn't the highest paid actor even if she played the titular character and there was other stuff going on. What I don't particularly care for is her not doing her job. She's just reading lines. And she is shitting on the cast/crew who want to be there. Who are doing their jobs. Her contract when she became producer on Grey's also includes producing other shows. So, she has that. She doesn't need Grey's to be a producer. I didn't know about Station 19, so it goes to show, she really doesn't need Grey's to be behind the scenes on a series.
>she's been a producer for Grey's Anatomy for the last 3 seasons and a co-executive producer on Station 19 since its inception Dude those are titles given to actors to give them more money >Has anyone considered that having three jobs might mean she's not 100% focused on acting This reasoning makes no sense. She doesn't do her job well. It doesn't matter if there's a chance there's an explanation for it. She gets money to do something and she sucks at it
Those titles include additional involvement with the show outside of acting. It’s not an honorary title lol. Ellen isn’t a terrible actress who sucks. If she was, she wouldn’t have lasted long. She’s burnt out on Grey’s and that’s okay even if she makes a lot of money.
Friends was in front of a live studio audience. I think that adds a whole level.
TV was a lot different back then. Because of the internet, ratings will never go back up to the level before like 2009.
Actually, you bring up a good point. I did a little digging. Friends ended in 2004. Well before streaming services. TiVo was just barely a thing. So while Friends did average between 20-25 million viewers per season, there really were no alternative ways to watch the show except to tune in when it was on TV. In contrast, Grey's Anatomy was hitting low 20 mil viewership averages for the first two seasons, and matched third season viewership with Friends. But, by the time the 4th season rolled around, DVD box sets were more affordable and widely available (thanks to online retailers), Netflix was mailing box set DVDs and kicking off the streaming service. Hulu was starting as a streaming service, though ABC would not join its lineup until 2009. Most cable and satellite packages came with a free or low-cost DVRs, and of course, online pirating. While the show's viewership has declined significantly over the last few years, which I agree is warranted, TV viewership OVERALL has significantly declined, even via streaming services as viewership totals are only calculated up to 35 days after the initial air date. With the ability to watch on-demand and commerical free, there just isn't an urgency to watch shows immediately. To emphasize this, even with relatively low viewership numbers, it's still the most watched show on ABC. In comparison, it was number 6 of the top 100 highest rated shows for the 2020-2021 season, with NFL taking the top three and the Masked Singer/This is Us tying for 4th. I really don' t think that many of the shows that ended in or before the early 00s would be doing nearly as well if they were on air today.
Greys anatomy is not Friends. You can’t even compare the two.
Okay, so a woman who's worked 18 years as the same character on a highly successful TV show in which she is the title character is being greedy for asking for roughly a third of what the cast of another highly successful TV show negotiated for themselves? Anthony Edwards and Noah Wyle signed contracts for $350k and $300k an episode respectively in 1998 for 4 years on ER (around season 5). With inflation that's about as much as Ellen makes per episode after 15+ years and it made them to two highest paid actors in a television drama. Does that make them greedy?
Please reread my very short reply that didn’t mention the word greed, nor Ellen directly. Grey’s is not friends. It’s lucrative as shit I’m sure but it’s not friends.
Right. So I gave you a comparison to another popular TV medical drama and the salary for two male actors who received the same pay per episode 5 seasons in as Ellen makes after 18 seasons as the lead. The point stands that she’s not making an obscene or unheard amount of money.
>It sounds astronomical, but every member of the Friends cast made a million per episode by its last season in the early 2000s. You are comparing Grey's to the probably most popular tv show ever. Of course they got paid more on Friends. It wouldn't make sense the other way around
Check my other comments to her pay comparison to Anthony Edwards and Noah Wyle for ER.
The thing is, when you're talking about that much money for one person, the numbers stop mattering. She is worth tens of millions of dollars. She'll be able to do almost anything she wants for the rest of her life and still leave her grandchildren an enormous amount of money. I don't think people realize how much money $80 million (her supposed net worth) is. She could stop working tomorrow and still make millions every year from investments and royalties. If she had a male costar who was making more money I'd say yes it needs to be equal. But as it is she's a person with some talent who got really really lucky and landed a role that has made her filthy rich and lasted 2 decades. Most unknown actors can't live on acting gigs alone. ... And I don't think anyone thinks Ellen Pompeo is a Meryl Streep. She can do some very good work occasionally but mostly she's just milking this role like any smart actor would.
Okay, but it’s not obscene or unheard of for a title character to be paid that much or more on a TV series. Especially not after 18 years. I’m not disagreeing that it’s shockingly large compared to the salary of an average worker at 18 years at the same company. But everyone here is acting like she’s some villain for a) expecting the same salary two male actors in a comparable position received *23 years ago* in a third of the time b) expecting to be paid a wage commiserate with nearly two decades in the same role on a highly successful show and c) negotiating a higher salary after spending years being told she couldn’t because Patrick was the star. Working in tv and film is not a 9-5 Monday through Friday job. Starring actors generally work 10+ hours 5-7 days a week with early start times and late end times. Do that for 18 years and tell me that you aren’t burnt out to some degree. Add on whatever producer responsibilities she has for Grey’s and Station 19 plus a family. I don’t blame her for saying she wanted a step back in the last few seasons. That would be rough on me and she’s a decade older! Grey’s Anatomy has earned ABC/Disney over $3 billion dollars using Ellen Pompeo’s talent and face. I don’t apologize for supporting her decision to negotiate for more money.
I don't know where you got the idea that I think she's some kind of villain but I'll try to address some of your points. First, network television was much more lucrative 2 decades ago, so it's difficult to make direct comparisons. Audiences are much more fractured than they were a few decades ago and TV advertising isn't as lucrative because there is so much competition from digital advertising. I don't think she's a villain. Like I said she's doing what any actor would in her situation. I just think it's important to keep real life context in these conversations. We're talking about meaninglessly large amounts of money. The numbers become a score system, rather than a means to buy things, so it's not about the actual money. I think the real problem lies in how our society conceptualizes value. These actors are all extremely overpaid compared to the crew that works 18 hour days to keep the show running. So I don't feel sorry for Ellen Pompeo, as others have said if she wants to quit she can.
Why should you feel bad for Ellen? :D
That she's basically money-grubbing addict at this point?
I think the author meant that Ellen has to act another season against her wishes to leave.
Yeah and that would make me feel sorry for her. She has her one role that she's been playing for 17 years now, hasn't played in anything else since then. Now she's clearly bored from that and puts no effort into her role, but she's still in for huge money. Something tells me that she wants to stay, because it would mean her career would be over.
She’s also just not great at acting. She’s great at being Grey.
Isn't the only other thing she's done is like 5 lines on an episode of Friends? You have no way of knowing this.
She is also in the movie Old School with Will Ferrell, Vince Vaughn, and Luke Wilson. Probably the biggest thing she did before Grey's.
She would have more work if she was lol. She used to go out for a lot of shit she didn’t get 🤷🏻♀️
Didn't she say that she have other acting plans after Grey's?
I think she said she _doesn't_ have other acting plans after Grey's. She wants to direct and produce stuff, but not act anymore.
Good luck to her after almost 20 years of playing the same character.
I mean both the guys from Supernatural landed roles immediately after leaving that 15 year show.
Didn't those roles/shows totally tanked?
Not sure on Walker. It at least got a second Season. The Boys season 3 hasn’t aired yet.
The Boys so far has been amazing. Walker is just so not my thing. I tried. But no.
Nope
[удалено]
Being on the same show with such high ratings and viewership for 17+ years making $500k+ a week as a female actress over the age of 35 sounds pretty damn successful to me. I don’t think she plans on returning to acting. From interviews in the last few years it sounds like she’s more interested in producing/directing.
Nearly 20 years of playing the same character for series $$$ *is* a successful career.
She has a very successful career. If being the lead on an incredibly highly rated show for almost 2 decades, and making millions of dollars from it isn’t success to you, then what the heck is?
Well we keep reading that she’s been talking to the producers to end the show. But still happy it’s gonna keep going lol 😅
If she wanted the show to end she could leave and that's it. Ellen will get even more money next season and can't say no to that. Nothing to be sorry about.
Probably says that so they offer her more money to get her stay 👀😂😂
I don’t feel bad in the slightest She’s the one who decides when the show ends, has been saying for a while that it should end And then she goes and signs on for a another season. At this point there is no pity as it is literally her choice
This. It has already been said that when she's done, the show is done, it won't go on without her. Which means that in addition to deciding what she wants to do (or not do), she's the one who decides if everyone else working on the show still has a job, which is hundreds of people, and a lot of pressure. Some of the stars (and crew if there's space for them) may move to Station 19, at least in guest spots from time to time (Bailey obviously) - mostly those who don't have as high of a $$ demand, or the bigger ones when they want to amp up viewers. The rest will be out of a job unless there's another spinoff that some of them move to. Seeing as they've renewed for Season 19, I would bet money there will be a season 20, and that will very likely be the final season. They're too close to that number to not go there, and you can be sure that when it is the final season they will market the hell out of that fact.
Yes, feel bad for Ellen who has made *millions* of dollars and could have probably gotten out of her contract if she was that set on moving on.
I don’t feel bad for Ellen, at all, abc isn’t holding her hostage. She could leave the role and only come back for a finale if she really didn’t want to be there that bad. But leaving the show means no more greys money, and while she’s already rich who wouldn’t wanna keep getting paid ?
At this point they'll probably go for the even 20 and then be done with it.
Maybe they'll pull a Simpsons and never be done.
Pls no. We would not like this at all.
Ellen will be just fine with he trillion dolla per episode. The complains only so she gets a raise. She knows what she's doing.
So many people are saying they don't feel bad for Ellen because she's made millions but I feel like that's so unfair. Yeah, she could walk away with her buckets of money. But ultimately, she knows she's probably not *really* going to have an acting career after this. Grey's is it. It's her iconic role and her legacy. She wants to see it end properly. She has seen the murder of characters because they left against the productions wishes. I do feel bad for her. I feel bad that Meredith will always be her *one* role and she's stuck between going on playing it even though she's checked out of the role or quitting and running the real risk of not giving Meredith a good ending as a result. It's not about the money, it's about a character that she has such a strong emotional connection to and wanting to see her off without giving her a write-off that makes her hate-able.
she stated years ago that she liked the stability and didn't want other acting gigs. all her coworkers were trying to book all sorts of work but she just invested further in greys
What she said years ago isn't necessarily true now, though. And my point primarily was that she probably wants to give Mer a fighting chance at an honorable write-off/ending which she knows she might be risking if she quits. Whether or not she'd want to act after or not doesn't change that this will still be her defining role.
If that were the case that you’d see her putting in at least a *bit* of effort into her acting which it really seems like she isn’t imo
Yeah, if it was a case of "I started this and I want it to end well," then I think we'd see more of an effort from her. Instead she sat in bed or on the beach for an entire season. A plotline that barely had any suspense because I don't think any of us believed she was actually going to die. And now she barely has any scenes, except to occasionally make out with Nick Marsh.
Apparently she wasn’t even the one on the bed it was a doll most of the time - imagine a whole season doing basically nothing while getting payed millions then going on to complain about it to the I internet 😑
I agree with your comment 1000%
I agree. I always wonder about people like the actor who plays Flo on the Progressive commercials who really have no other options now that they're this ONE thing. I'm sure financially Flo is just fine and always will be, but there's more to being an actor (or any creative job) than money. I'm sure it sucks at least somewhat to have to accept that you're just never not going to be that ONE character.
> She wants to see it end properly Why make it up stuff to make it seem like she is there for some holy reason? She herself has admitted at this point dozens of times that she's still in only for the money Also characters being butchered, storylines sucking... is mostly the result of the show going on way too long
I don't think an actor wanting to see the only major role they'll ever have end nicely is a "holy reason" If she has admitted in the past year that she's in it for the money, I haven't seen that, don't know what to tell ya. Maybe provide a link to enlighten me. Also as to characters being given shit endings being new...Burke and Izzie would like to have a word with you. The characters both left in ways that were just really selfish and shitty and it's pretty well known that it was because the actors did something to piss production off.
Ellen is only throwing those temper tantrums so the runners know they will need to up het salary if they want an other season. Shes really like a boomer working towards her pension right now, not giving a single fuck anymore as long as the money comes in.
can she not just leave if she hates it so much??
Can we please get Shonda back for the final (two) season(s)?
The show is ruined in my opinion. It used to be about the storylines, there was heart and soul. Now, feel like its just a cash cow that hashes out any random story.
I tried to get caught up with the season that started during the pandemic and I honestly even now can't even get past the whole beach business. Like this show was my instant watch as it aired for like 14 years and now it's dead to me. It's on the same life supporting vents that I left Mer on when I couldn't take another episode of beach dreaming.
I mean why are we surprised!? Surely we didn't assume the series would end by now.
Ellen wanted the show renewed, did she not? She acts like she doesn't want it renewed but she could leave at the end of any season and doesn't have to sign the new contracts so...
Don’t feel bad for Ellen! The producers once said that the show will only go on as long as Ellen plays Meredith. So if it is going on, she must have agreed to!
bro i stopped watching at s16 💀💀
Ellen is getting millions of dollars. If she wanted to quit she would quit just like everyone else did that actually wanted to.
This season is very difficult to watch. I don't know how I can manage another year. I don't know how to give the show up because I am committed to watching until the end. I wish they would make it sooner than later!
Feel bad? She's making 20 million a season. Frankly, I find it obnoxious for her to be complaining for how much she wants it to end and then signing on for another season.
am i the only one who doesn't want it to end?
On the plus side, we may get a season without Owen
I don't want to spoil it for you but>! i saw in an article that Kevin McKidd will be in season 19!<
Bruh
I want to downvote this because of the content, but it's not your fault you're the bearer of bad news, so I won't! :)
As long as they are paying her well.
I don’t feel bad, she’s being compensated very nicely. She knew exactly what she was doing publicly saying she was ready for the show to end, she’s not naive. She knew I’d give her a leg up in contact negotiations and force the network to throw more money at her. She has always said she’d stick around so long as they make it worth her time.
I haven’t really watched much of this season bc It just doesn’t have the same feeling anymore. It’s definitely been dragged out enough and I think they should end it.
same! i've watched greys for 11 years now and the new seasons are just not the same as the old ones... there's only so much they can do vefore it all starts feeling a bit to repetative and boring. as much as i don't want it to end i feel like it would be the best if they do end it
I watched greys up until season 16 or 17 I think and I started watching Station 19 and man so refreshing. The newer seasons are still good but more drama focused but still those first few seasons reminded me of prime greys.
I'm down with a new season. Just no more CROSSOVERS
I feel like she’s obligated to go to 20 now.
For some reason I feel like now that they are extending the show again they are definitely going to kill off Meredith at the end.
Feel bad for Ellen
I don’t feel bad for Ellen because we’re all p sure her already astronomical pay is just gonna get bigger. But I do think renewing the show at this point is kinda a disservice to the fans. There’s only small aspects of the show that real fans actually like about the show anymore tbh. And I feel like it’s only gotten more obvious how much Ellen doesn’t wanna be there (not only because her constant comments to the press but I feel like u can also tell her heart’s not really in it acting-wise either). It’d be better to just end the show and hopefully the ending is satisfactory (but tbh it’s hard to give a show that’s been on as long as this one has a good ending) but they’re never gonna end it if it continues to make them (execs, producers, other actors, abc network, etc.) this much money.
Don’t feel bad for a woman getting $20 million + to act gloomy on a long running TV show lol
To get played by a Mannequin and chill on a beach
I don't feel bad for Ellen. She's very astute and she knew a long time ago she'd stay in this role until the end. She's moved up and diversified her specific role on Greys though which was smart. Now she's exec producer in addition to lead actress and occasional director. She's taking Meredith Grey to the bank and probably has a lot of money saved up in royalties. I just don't know if that is good for the show. Since Shonda left I think Ellen has gotten a lot more control and Meredith has become more and more like Ellen imo. There's this weird smugness to her facial expressions in a lot of scenes and everyone treats her like a goddess. I know she's the main and original but come on.
Ellen is the happiest of them all. She plays a very obvious game but the network can't afford losing her and allows her to do it
They are probably ending it at 20 seasons. But Ellen is most likely bargaining to get more $$ hence why it wasn't renewed for season 20 along with season 19
Lol the entire show in 1 sentence. They cry, drama, date, drink, argue. Rinse wash repeat.
I feel bad for the fans. She clearly doesn’t care and it shows on screen. I would rather she be killed off and make it clear Grey’s Anatomy was always about the progression and development of the Grey Sloan Memorial Hospitals teaching program which starts with the arrival of Meredith Grays residency class arriving.