‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Star Ellen Pompeo Puts Netflix on Blast for Not Paying Residuals

Back in 2018, Ellen Pompeo opened up about her fight to get fairly compensated as the star of Grey’s Anatomy, one of the biggest shows in the world. And now, in the midst of both the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, Pompeo is once again speaking out against studio greed.

On Tuesday, Pompeo shared a screenshot of a video from Netflix’s TikTok account that featured her in character as an annoyed-looking Meredith Grey with the caption “Me when there’s a ???? in the chest cavity.” Pompeo added her own text to the meme for her Instagram story: “Also me when @netflix Doesnt pay actors residuals holla let’s talk.”

Pompeo is referring to the ongoing tension between studio heads and actors as the SAG-AFTRA strike nears the end of its first week. The guild officially went on strike on July 14, demanding an increase in the dismal streaming residuals. Stars of shows with massive streaming success like Gilmore Girls, This is Us, and Orange is the New Black have shown their residual checks, which often is two digits or less for a pay period.

The Grey’s Anatomy star didn’t delve into her specific streaming residual revenue, but in the past she opened up about how she had to fight for her $20 million annual salary back in 2018. She told The Hollywood Reporter that initially she felt “greedy” for asking for the salary, until she realized how much money she was helping make the company.

“Grey’s has generated nearly $3 billion for Disney. When your face and your voice have been part of something that’s generated $3 billion for one of the biggest corporations in the world, you start to feel like, ‘OK, maybe I do deserve a piece of this,” Pompeo explained.

While Pompeo might be okay financially, she did have to fight for her compensation — and it’s good to see she’s also fighting for the actors who are working 12 hour days and still have to have a second (and sometimes third) job just to survive.

Before you go, click here to see all the celebrities who supported the SAG-AFTRA & WGA strikes.