Grey’s Anatomy Boss on Whether Ellen Pompeo Is Leaving This Season

Ever since it was revealed that Ellen Pompeo would be scaling back her duties on Grey's Anatomy, there have been questions about her future on the series.

Grey's Anatomy Season 19 Episode 1 aired Thursday night, and there was no indication that Meredith Grey's arc was slowing down.

Instead, fans saw Mer as the hospital's chief, meaning there was a considerably different dynamic.

The series embraced change by adding five new series regulars, resulting in the show being fresher.

In a new interview with Deadline that dropped after the season premiere, showrunner Krista Vernoff was asked whether this would be the last season featuring Meredith.

"I don’t have an answer to that, that’s always up to Ellen," Vernoff shared.

"She’s got some new projects on the horizon that she’s really excited about but Grey’s Anatomy is is her heart, she keeps saying it is her heart, so we’ll see."

When asked whether the season finale was being planned as a farewell for Meredith, Vernoff offered the following:

"The finale of this season? No."

Now, that could potentially mean that a conclusion for Meredith's arc could be planned before the season finale, or it could just mean that Pompeo will continue to dip in and out of the series.

Pompeo has yet to comment on whether this will be her finale season, but the star has been open about the show continuing without her.

Then again, we don't even know whether there will be a show after this season.

Simran Sethi, ABC's Entertainment EVP of Programming and Content told Deadline this week that no decision has been made.

“No decisions have been made at this time, but we hope to be in business with Shondaland for a really long time," the exec shared.

"And I think when you’re looking at this next season, I’m excited for this Thursday and for audiences to see this new class of interns, which does feel really reminiscent of nostalgic early Grey’s, but they’re absolutely their own characters."

For now, Grey's Anatomy airs Thursdays at 9 p.m.

What are your thoughts on Pompeo potentially leaving for good?

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