Ellen Pompeo has been a familiar face on televisions for decades now, including the 2025 TV schedule. That is thanks to Pompeo’s most notable role as Meredith Grey on Shonda Rhimes' iconic Grey’s Anatomy. With the longstanding relationship with the show’s creator, the actress behind the eponymous role revealed some absolutely grounded yet magical advice. And those words were revealed on a staple daytime talk show.
During the Old School alum’s interview with The View, they covered her new show, Good American Family, and how it's based off the doc series called Curious Case of Natalia Grace. Along with it, they talked about the strong women who’ve been a part of her career, including Debbie Allen and Shonda Rhimes. After being asked what kind of tips and wisdom they shared with her, she said this of the latter's specific words of practical but incredibly special guidance:
Shonda taught me that closed mouths don’t get fed and no one will just give you something. You have to ask, and all anyone can say is no, and I sit in a real position of privilege to even have the power and the privilege of choice. Not everybody recognizes that, being able to make choices is a privilege that not everyone is afforded.
Leave it to the Scandal creator to lay down some simple but life-changing advice! It absolutely rivals, if not outplays, most of the iconic Grey's Shondalogues, and it’s wonderful that the message was gifted to Pompeo during their run together. Plenty of female support among Hollywood generations is always nice to hear, as well as that they’re willing to share that knowledge with the fans.
Both the Bridgerton creator and the Catch Me if You Can actress have dedicated fandoms, seemingly all spawning from the show that brought them together. And though both have stepped away from Grey’s Anatomy in various capacities presently, their characters still exist within this world. Rhimes and Shondaland are still in the midst of the streaming exclusive deal with Netflix. Meanwhile, people are starting to get into and enjoying Pompeo's new semi-factual series, so it’ll be interesting to see how the limited series fares as it goes on.
Needless to say, that knockout advice the Grey’s Anatomy star received all those years ago from her showrunner is incredible. The sentiment can be felt from both creatives’ works on the ABC hit and beyond. You can check out Pompeo’s Good American Family with a Hulu subscription, with new episodes releasing on Wednesdays. Watch Rhimes’ Bridgerton and Queen Charlotte and more with a Netflix subscription.
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