"She's not ready"— Ellen Pompeo explains why she won't let her younger daughter watch Grey's Anatomy

Ellen Pompeo's 10-year-old daughter, Sienna, whom she shares with her husband Chris Ivery, has yet to watch the drama set at the Grey Sloan Memorial and probably won't be watching it anytime soon. Although her older 15-year-old daughter, Stella, is already tuning in to watch Grey's Anatomy, the actress said she doesn't think her younger daughter is ready for it yet.

She said on Jimmy Kimmel Live on Friday, March 14, 2025:

"May 15-year-old has seen it and now my 10-year-old wants to see it. Which, she's not ready."

Despite her 10-year-old wanting to watch the medical procedural where she stars as the titular doctor Meredith Grey and despite that many of her classmates have seen it, Ellen Pompey said that there's a good reason why she's censoring the content. She added:

"No judgment on other parents, but I don't want my daughter to see me in my underwear on television just yet. But all her classmates have so, that makes for great conversation at pick-up."

Ellen Pompeo has played Meredith Grey in the Shonda Rhimes medical drama since 2005. She's been a regular cast in the series until its season 19, and after that, she transitioned into a recurring role and continues to make cameos while still serving as its executive producer.

---

Ellen Pompeo recently said that "financial security" is among the best things to come out of Grey's Anatomy

After playing Meredith Grey in Grey's Anatomy for about 20 years, Ellen Pompeo recently revealed the best part she got from being on the long-running TV show. She told People in a February 26, 2025, cover story that Grey's helped her become financially secure, which she is grateful for, saying:

"Financial security is not something that every actress is afforded, so I'm very grateful for that... I've chosen to financially empower myself so that I never have to be ducking predators and chasing trophies."

She also described herself as a blue-collar worker, likening herself to a "worker bee," compared to other actors she worked with on Grey's Anatomy. She feels like she doesn't share a lot of similarities with other A-list actors with a more varied career compared to her. She also told People about her focus on financial empowerment over other things, saying:

"It's not for everyone. You have to be more interested in business than you are in acting."

However, financial security wasn't something Ellen Pompeo always had in her career. Starting as a film actress, her career stalled and she became close to broke, per The Hollywood Reporter's profile of her in 2018. That was when she got the script for Grey's Anatomy, which she didn't want in the first place, considering that she would be "stuck on a medical show for five years."

However, it turned out to be a success, and by 2017, she signed to become the highest-paid actress in a primetime drama. Her new contract has her earning over $20 million a year, which includes a seven-figure signing bonus and $575,000 per episode, per the outlet.

---

Outside of Grey's Anatomy, Ellen Pompeo will also be starring in Hulu's limited drama series, Good American Family, about Natalia Grace, which will premiere on March 19, 2025.