Ellen Pompeo says her $20m-a-year Grey’s Anatomy salary came with a warning from her manager that hit her like a brick

Ellen Pompeo attends 2024 Disney Upfront at Javits Center on May 14, 2024 in New York City. (Credit: John Nacion - FilmMagic))

• Ellen Pompeo believed her $20 million annual salary on Grey’s Anatomy to be celebrated as a win for equal pay, but was warned before her 2018 Hollywood Reporter interview went live that not everyone would support her success. Pompeo highlights the double standard in how women’s earnings are scrutinized compared to men’s, while emphasizing the importance of using her financial power to uplift others.

When Grey's Anatomy star Ellen Pompeo confirmed she was being paid more than $20m a year for her work on the show, she hoped it would be celebrated as evidence of equal pay coming to Hollywood.