Grey’s Anatomy star Ellen Pompeo didn’t hesitate when asked which character’s death hit her the hardest
Topics: Grey's Anatomy, Podcasts, TV And Film
Chloe Jackson
Featured Image Credit: Call Her Daddy/YouTube
Topics: Grey's Anatomy, Podcasts, TV And Film
Ellen Pompeo has forced us all to relive one of the most heart-wrenching episodes in Grey's Anatomy history as she was quizzed over which character's death hit her the hardest.
The actor has been spilling all about her time on Grey's Anatomy as she appeared on the Call Her Daddy podcast on Wednesday (19 March) ahead of the release of her new show, Good American Family.
From her pay difference compared to co-star Patrick Dempsey to admitting to crying during a sex scene she 'didn't want to do' and even sharing a sobering message for women in the workplace, Pompeo really left no stone unturned and she walked us through her lengthy tenure as Grey Sloan Memorial's leading lady.
At one point during the episode, host Alex Cooper gave fans what they wanted as she fired a round of Grey's themed questions Pompeo's way, kicking off with a bang by asking which character's death hit her the hardest.
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And it's safe to say the Meredith Grey star did not stutter.
Without even a split second to think, Pompeo responded: "George O'Malley. 007."
Yep. I can already feel tears pricking my eyes, thanks Ellen.
"That moment where he wrote on your palm... I mean, the writing. You just killed me, like you just stabbed me in the heart, how dare you," host Cooper agreed.
Now, are you ready to be reduced to tears?
George O’Malley, played by T.R. Knight, was killed off in season six of the show. He had planned to swap out life as a surgeon at Seattle Grace to join the Army in Iraq, but on his way home, he jumps in front of a bus to try and save a woman.
As he is rushed through the doors of the hospital, none of his friends recognised him as he was so severely disfigured from his injuries, and they spend a good chunk of the day trying to figure out who this 'John Doe' is.
But in one of the most heartbreaking moments of TV, he traces '007' - an inside joke between the friends - on Meredith’s hand, showing that, to her horror, the 'John Doe' they were caring for was in fact George.
Then, during a complication on the operating table, George tragically passes away.
The fact that his death came at a point the character was finally starting to find his way in medicine made it all the more shocking to fans, but it was Knight himself who had chosen to be released from his contract, citing creative differences.
A few years prior to his departure in 2009, the actor was involved in one of the show's biggest scandals, which creator Shonda Rhimes thought would pull the shutter down on the medical drama for good.
In 2006, Isaiah Washington, who played Preston Burke in the medical show, was fired after he reportedly got into a physical altercation with co-star Dempsey and used a homophobic slur towards Knight.
"It’s funny, every Grey’s actor I talk to who was there during that time is still traumatised by that incident. People still talk about it," Rhimes told The Hollywood Reporter this week.
Washington initially denied using the slur, but later admitted to it and apologised in a statement, saying he 'can neither defend nor explain my behaviour'.
Elsewhere on Call Her Daddy, Pompeo said the cast members she's the closest to now are Knight and Justin Chambers, who played Alex Karev.
Pompeo hung up her scrubs during season 19 in 2023, although the actor has since returned for guest appearances and voiceovers.