If you thought Derek Shepherd’s death was heart-wrenching, get ready for an even worse tragedy.
Ellen Pompeo recently hinted to Grey’s Anatomy fans that she might be leaving the show because she feels she needs a change in her life. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, she said she still cares about Grey’s Anatomy, but most of the stories that could be told have already been covered.
“It’s about time that I mix it up,” Pompeo said.
Along with needing a change, Pompeo also said that she wants to make more time for her children.
“My children are getting older so I want to be more available to them now,” she said. “I can’t be an absentee mom if they’re teenagers — I have to be around to whip their butts. So it’s definitely time for change in my life.”
Pompeo plays main character, Meredith Grey, on the show, which has been running since 2005. This week, the show’s 15th season premiered on ABC, and her $20 million dollar contract with the show runs until 2020 – which is when season 16 would be set to premiere.
Despite these hints, Pompeo added that she’s not ready to make an official announcement about her future on Grey’s Anatomy; that’s something she’ll apparently discuss with the creator of the show, Shonda Rhimes.
If the main character leaves, then what are the chances of the show surviving? Rhimes might try to make it work without her, but you can’t have Grey’s Anatomy without Meredith Grey. This means no more plane crashes or shootings, no more Meredith and Maggie love triangles, and no more witnessing the beauty that is Jackson Avery. I guess this just gives us an excuse to repeatedly binge watch all the episodes on Netflix.
In the meantime, be sure to watch season 15 of Grey’s Anatomy on ABC, collegiettes!