In a 2015 interview for Variety, “Grey’s Anatomy” star Ellen Pompeo said that co-star Patrick Dempsey was being paid almost double what she was making during the show’s early seasons despite the fact that she played the show’s titular role. Pompeo reportedly discovered the pay disparity after three seasons.
In the Variety interview, Ellen Pompeo told Taraji P Henson when “Grey’s Anatomy” premiered in 2004, Patrick Dempsey had more TV experience starring in shows such as “Fast Times,” “Will & Grace,” and “The Practice.” However, Pompeo, who took on the titular role as Meredith Grey in the medical drama, had appeared in multiple films, including “Catch Me If You Can” and had a few guest spots in shows like “Friends” and “Law & Order.” This reportedly played into the pay disparity.
Pompeo said, “[Dempsey] was being paid almost double what I was in the beginning. He had a television quote. I had never done TV.” Pompeo added, “I didn’t even realize it until we were renegotiating Season 3. No one was offering that up.”
Ellen Pompeo said that when she tried to get paid equally, the show brass always used Dempsey’s popularity on the show as leverage. She recalled, “They could always use him as leverage against me—’We don’t need you; we have Patrick’—which they did for years.”
Ellen Pompeo said the defining moment in her contract negotiations came when Patrick Dempsey quit the show in Season 11, allowing her to finally earn what she deserved as a leading cast member on the show. In a 2018 interview with Hollywood Reporter, Pompeo said she always wondered if the show brass used the same negotiating tactic with Dempsey, leveraging her popularity against his.
However, Pompeo revealed she did reach out to Patrick Dempsey about joining forces to negotiate equal, fair pay but noted that “he was never interested in that.”
Ellen Pompeo made 25% less than Patrick Dempsey For Season 11
It is unclear how much Pompeo earned from seasons 1 to 10. However, according to Celebrity Net Worth, for seasons 11 and 12, Pompeo made $300,000 per episode, roughly $7.5 million per year. Meanwhile, Patrick Dempsey made “$400,000 an episode” during the end of his stint at Grey’s Anatomy.
Meanwhile, after Dempsey quit, Ellen Pompeo earned $350,000 per episode, roughly $8.7 million per year for seasons 13 and 14. In 2018, Pompeo negotiated a payout of $575,000 per episode.
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