It's been a month since Ellen Pompeo revealed her impending exit from Grey's Anatomy, leaving fans completely devastated. But the actress is still hanging out with her cast mates ... just in a different way.
In her first public appearance since the big announcement, Ellen joined co-stars Chandra Wilson, Kelly McCreary, Camilla Luddington, Caterina Scorsone, Jake Borelli and James Pickens Jr. at the 2022 People's Choice Awards on December 6. The group had much to celebrate that night after they won for Drama Show of the Year. What's more, Ellen earned a second award for Female TV Star of the Year — her third consecutive win in this category.
Feeling grateful for what the cast of the ABC drama accomplished, the actress later shared photos from the night to commemorate the big moment. "Thank you people🌟," she wrote on Instagram on December 7.
When Grey's Anatomy fans saw that Ellen attended a red carpet event ahead of her final episode on February 23, they took the time to express how excited they were for her major achievement.
"Very proud that you won this award! I can't wait to see you on other projects, sending you lots of love and success on your new journey! ❤️🥳," one person commented on Instagram. "You winning for the third time in a row ... you know, you know you're the queen!!! 👑❤️," a different user added. "Congratulations to you Ellen and to all the crew that makes this show work. It was really not hard to vote for something that we love. ❤️," another follower wrote.
Despite the sadness viewers may feel about Ellen leaving Grey's Anatomy after 19 seasons, the ABC actress has a different opinion about it. As she revealed during a December 13 appearance on The Drew Barrymore Show, she felt it was time to switch things up career-wise.
"I feel super happy, but listen the show has been incredible to me and I've loved a lot of the experience," she told daytime TV show host Drew Barrymore. "I gotta mix it up a little bit. I'm 53, my brain is like scrambled eggs ... I gotta do something new or I'm literally gonna turn into, like, [someone who] can't do the New York Times crossword puzzle every single day."
Luckily, it won't be long before folks see Ellen back on TV. She still has one more guest appearance for Grey's Anatomy season 19 (to round out the eight episodes she's in this season), and she is in the middle of filming her Hulu limited series based on the 2009 film Orphan.
In other words, we'll be seeing more Ellen!
As the entertainment and news associate editor for Good Housekeeping, Adrianna (she/her) writes about everything TV, movies, music and pop culture. She graduated from Yeshiva University with a B.A. in journalism and a minor in business management. She covers shows like The Rookie, 9-1-1 and Grey's Anatomy, though when she’s not watching the latest show on Netflix, she’s taking martial arts or drinking way too much coffee.
