Featured Image Credit: Getty
Topics: Celebs, Entertainment, Grey's Anatomy, TV
Sarah Halle Corey
I think I want to be Ellen Pompeo when I grow up. Not only is she an iconic actress with a gorgeous family and literal fortune, but she’s also is maybe the most confident person I’ve ever seen. And I’m not alone in thinking that. Even TV show creator extraordinaire Shonda Rhimes was once “terrified” of Ellen.
At Ellen’s Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony on April 29, Shonda talked about meeting Ellen for the first time before she hired her to play Meredith Grey on Grey’s Anatomy.
“I went home and I literally wrote in my journal – I actually looked it up – ‘This girl is a spitfire, she will lay you out with the truth, up, down and sideways,'” Shonda said. “I was absolutely thrilled and a little bit terrified because it’s rare to meet somebody like her.” That’s truly the kind of energy I aspire to embody.
And let’s go back to that fortune Ellen has, because her “spitfire” energy is a part of what helped her earn it. Ellen was a guest on the March 19 episode of Call Her Daddy, and she talked about how she was confident negotiating a multi-million-dollar deal for herself on Grey’s Anatomy.
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“I see exactly how much Grey’s Anatomy makes for ABC Disney, I get to see the number,” she explained. “Then it’s my face, it’s my voice, I’ve done so much work promoting the show all over the world for the past 20 years […] I have the data to back [it] up. I know the show generated this much money, I definitely deserve a percentage of that.” Yes, yes you do, Ellen!
Let’s take a look at Ellen Pompeo’s net worth to see how all her negotiating has worked out.
Ellen’s net worth is estimated to be around $80 million. She shares that net worth with her music producer husband Chris Ivery, but a hefty chunk of it came from Ellen’s Grey’s Anatomy earnings.
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In 2017, Ellen negotiated a landmark $20 million deal for Grey’s Anatomy, making her the highest-paid actress on a TV drama. As part of the deal, she earns $575,000 per episode, along with a seven-figure signing bonus and a producer’s fee, all estimated to be worth upwards of $7 million. Seriously, I’m taking notes from Ellen for the next time I have to sign a contract.
Ellen and her family have a Malibu estate that’s estimated to be worth around $30 million. It’s also totally worth checking out the video tour of the house, mostly for more evidence of how effortlessly cool and confident Ellen is. She also had a house in the Hamptons that she sold in 2024 for three times what she paid for it. Again, I beg, Ellen, teach me your ways.