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Fans can\u2019t get enough of Grey\u2019s Anatomy<\/em><\/a>: It was the second most-streamed TV series in 2024. Perhaps it\u2019s no coincidence that Ellen Pompeo<\/strong> \u2014 who stars as Meredith Grey \u2014 returned for more episodes during Season 21 last year than she had since scaling back her appearances<\/a> in 2022 to work on other Hulu projects. (She\u2019s remained the show\u2019s narrator throughout its run.)<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re an open-door policy with her,\u201d showrunner Meg Marinis<\/strong> told The Hollywood Reporter<\/em> in September. \u201cWhen we can have Ellen on set and in the episodes, we love to have her.\u201d<\/p>\n Considering Ellen, 55, makes nearly $600,000 per episode, that\u2019s quite a nice position to be in. But she hasn\u2019t always been so blessed. \u201cMy life started out with tragedy,\u201d Ellen, whose mom died of an overdose when she was five, told Good Housekeeping<\/em>. \u201cI was pathetically insecure. I didn\u2019t have a mother to tell me how amazing I was.\u201d<\/p>\n The youngest of six, she was shuffled among relatives, but an aunt and uncle who took her to an NYC theater changed her life forever. \u201cAfterward, I stood up and said, \u2018That\u2019s what I want to be,\u2019\u201d Ellen once recalled to Allure<\/em>. \u201c\u2018That\u2019s what I want to do.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n And she did! After smaller roles, she won raves in the film Moonlight Mile<\/em>, and eventually ABC offered her the lead in Grey\u2019s<\/em>. The series, which debuted in 2005, became a massive hit and made her a household name. But when Ellen married record producer Chris Ivery<\/strong> in 2007, she realized it also allowed her to create the loving family environment she never had.<\/p>\n \u201cA healthy home life was more important than career,\u201d Ellen \u2014 who is mom to Stella, 15, Sienna, 10, and Eli, 8 \u2014 said on the \u201cJemele Hill is Unbothered\u201d podcast. \u201cTo have a happy home life was really something I needed to complete, to close the hole in my heart, and so I made a decision to make money and not chase creative acting roles.\u201d<\/p>\n With her family as her strength, Ellen had the courage to ask for what she deserved in contract negotiations. In 2018, she revealed to THR<\/em> that she\u2019d signed a deal that made her one of the highest-paid women in TV, earning $20M a year \u2014 after years of being paid less than costar Patrick Dempsey<\/strong>, 59. \u201cI wanted to show my struggles,\u201d she told E! News<\/em>. \u201cBut if you\u2019re bold and you do speak up and if you do say unpopular things then you just might be part of some change.\u201d<\/p>\n This March, she\u2019s going bold again, starring in the first of her Hulu projects, the miniseries Good American Family<\/em>, inspired by the story of Natalia Grace<\/strong>. \u201cI have not done anything new in 20 years,\u201d Ellen spilled to Vanity Fair<\/em>. \u201cI have a lot to prove here!\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\nEllen Pompeo Living Life on Her Own Terms<\/h2>\n