Ellen Pompeo drops ‘truth bombs’ about race, and fans think she ‘snapped’ with her words
"Grey’s Anatomy" star Ellen Pompeo called for equal pay and diversity on set, earning admiration from fans and fellow celebrities.
The 49-year-old actress spoke about the sensitive issue of racial discrimination in Hollywood during a panel discussion hosted by Net-A-Porter for its “Women in Television” issue.
“I don’t see enough color,” she said.
Pompeo ranked fourth in the list of highest paid TV actresses by Forbes, with earnings of $11.5 million.
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"I had a meeting with a director of another endorsement project that I'm doing. I said, 'When I show up on set, I would like to see the crew look like the world that I walk around in every day'. And I think it's up to all productions to make sure that your crew looks like the world we see," Pompeo continued.
"As Caucasian people, it's our job. It's our task. It's our responsibility to make sure that we speak up in every single room we walk into that this is not okay.”
EQUAL PAY
Pompeo, who plays Dr. Meredith Grey in the hit television series, shared the panel with Gabrielle Union, Gina Rodriguez, and Emma Roberts.
The actress also talked about equal pay. She pointed out that on-screen are being paid less because they have the promise of getting acting awards.
"[Expletive] creatively fulfilling, give me my money," she said. "You're in this for money, you're in this to make money... as long as they can divert our attention and lure us with the creative carrot — we don't care about a carpet, I don't care about a statue. I care about sending my kids to college. At some point, we have to do a little of that too."
TOP-SECRET WEDDING
Pompeo is married to Chris Ivery, a Black American music producer. They have two children.
They married in 2007 in a very secret wedding in New York.
“It was also very top-secret. At that point, I was really dying for privacy. So we flew out on a red-eye Thursday night. Friday morning, we woke up, went to City Hall, had the wedding really quick, and then we went to a waffle lunch after,” she said of the wedding.
Pompeo ranked fourth in the list of highest paid TV actresses by Forbes, with earnings of $11.5 million.
Earlier this year, Ellen signed a $20 million annual contract with the American Broadcasting Company.
As an actress, she made her screen debut with NBC's legal drama, "Law & Order" before she guest-starred in other television shows including ABC's "Friends."