Grey's Anatomy star Ellen Pompeo hints she may leave show after season 16: 'It’s about time that I mix it up'

Actor Ellen Pompeo has hinted that the hit medical drama series Grey’s Anatomy might end after season 16. In an interview with Entertainment Tonight, Pompeo, who plays Meredith Grey on the ABC medical drama, was asked whether she would be there on the show after the upcoming season. [caption id=“attachment_5243101” align=“alignnone” width=“825”] Ellen Pompeo. Twitter @KMcKOnline[/caption] Pompeo has played protagonist since the show’s premiere in March 2005. Her latest contract for the show’s 15th and 16th seasons saw her take home a $20 million annual paycheque, and producer credits on Grey’s Anatomy. “I’m clearly not prepared right now to make any formal announcement about what my future is on the show, but I am really feeling like we have told the majority of the stories that we can tell,” the 48-year-old actor replied. “It’s about time that I mix it up. I’m definitely looking for a change,” she added. Grey’s Anatomy creator Shonda Rhimes said she had penned several endings for the series but the story still continues on. “I have written the end of the show at least six times. But we just don’t end. Every time, I thought, ‘This is how the show should end,’ we’ve gone past those moments, so I’ve stopped trying. I have no idea now,” she said. (With inputs from Press Trust of India)