{"id":17158,"date":"2026-07-25T21:53:57","date_gmt":"2026-07-25T16:53:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=17158"},"modified":"2026-07-25T21:53:57","modified_gmt":"2026-07-25T16:53:57","slug":"ellen-pompeos-absence-from-greys-anatomy-season-23-cast-photo-has-fans-asking-wheres-meredith","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=17158","title":{"rendered":"Ellen Pompeo\u2019s Absence From \u2018Grey\u2019s Anatomy\u2019 Season 23 Cast Photo Has Fans Asking: \u201cWhere\u2019s Meredith?\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script>\r\n  atOptions = {\r\n    'key' : '644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6',\r\n    'format' : 'iframe',\r\n    'height' : 90,\r\n    'width' : 728,\r\n    'params' : {}\r\n  };\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.highperformanceformat.com\/644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<br \/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content%2Fuploads%2Fsites%2F2%2F2026%2F07%2FTCDGRAN_AB098.jpg?quality%3D90%26strip%3Dall\" \/><\/p>\n<div xmlns:default=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\">\n<p>Meredith Grey may not be in the picture, but she\u2019s still part of the <em><a href=\"https:\/\/decider.com\/show\/greys-anatomy\/\">Grey\u2019s Anatomy<\/a><\/em> story.<\/p>\n<p><em>Grey\u2019s Anatomy<\/em> fans had one very important question after seeing the first look at the season 23 cast: Where is Meredith Grey?<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/decider.com\/tag\/ellen-pompeo\/\">Ellen Pompeo<\/a>, who has played the iconic surgeon since the <a href=\"https:\/\/decider.com\/tag\/abc\/\">ABC<\/a> medical drama premiered in 2005, was noticeably absent from a new cast photo shared ahead of the show\u2019s return.<\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/DbL4xgvII8x\/?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Instagram post<\/a>, shared on July 24, featured longtime <em>Grey\u2019s Anatomy<\/em> stars <a href=\"https:\/\/decider.com\/tag\/chandra-wilson\/\">Chandra Wilson<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/decider.com\/tag\/debbie-allen\/\">Debbie Allen<\/a>, James Pickens Jr., <a href=\"https:\/\/decider.com\/tag\/camilla-luddington\/\">Camilla Luddington<\/a> and Caterina Scorsone alongside newer cast members <a href=\"https:\/\/decider.com\/tag\/trevor-jackson\/\">Trevor Jackson<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/decider.com\/tag\/adelaide-kane\/\">Adelaide Kane<\/a>, Niko Terho, <a href=\"https:\/\/decider.com\/tag\/harry-shum-jr\/\">Harry Shum Jr.<\/a> and Anthony Hill.<\/p>\n<p>While many fans were excited to see the series gearing up for another season, others immediately noticed that its namesake character was missing from the lineup.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOk so I\u2019m not seeing Meredith???\u201d one fan wrote in the comments. \u201cThe show is called Grey\u2019s Anatomy, but there\u2019s not a single \u2018grey\u2019 in sight.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Another commenter joked, \u201cGREY\u2019S Anatomy but I don\u2019t see a GREY..LOL HAAHAHAAHAA.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhere\u2019s Meredith????\u201d another fan asked.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-instagram wp-block-embed-instagram\"\/>\n<p>But Pompeo\u2019s absence from the cast photo doesn\u2019t mean viewers have seen the last of Meredith Grey. After serving as the face of <em>Grey\u2019s Anatomy<\/em> for its first 18 seasons, Pompeo scaled back her on-screen role beginning with season 19 in 2022 as she focused more on her family and other projects.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019ve been doing it for 20 years, so it was time to step away,\u201d she told <a href=\"https:\/\/english.elpais.com\/culture\/2025-04-13\/ellen-pompeo-if-i-were-to-walk-away-completely-from-greys-anatomy-everybody-gets-to-make-money-from-my-hard-work-except-for-me.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">El Pa\u00eds<\/a> in an April 2025 interview. \u201cI have three children and I love spending time with them and I love being involved in their lives.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The actress, who shares daughters Stella, 16, and Sienna, 11, as well as son Eli, 9, with husband Chris Ivery, added, \u201cI\u2019m very lucky to be able to get to work sometimes and take time off. I have a nice balance in my life.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Since stepping back from her starring role, Pompeo has remained closely connected to <em>Grey\u2019s Anatomy<\/em> as an executive producer and the show\u2019s narrator. She has also continued to appear in select episodes each season and is expected to return for season 23, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/deadline.com\/2026\/03\/greys-anatomy-renewed-season-23-abc-cast-return-status-1236769222\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Deadline<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The upcoming season will also look different following the exits of longtime cast members <a href=\"https:\/\/decider.com\/tag\/kevin-mckidd\/\">Kevin McKidd<\/a> and Kim Raver, who departed the series at the end of last season.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGrey\u2019s Anatomy has been a huge chapter of my life, creatively and personally, and I\u2019m deeply grateful for everything the show has given me over the years,\u201d McKidd shared in a statement to <a href=\"https:\/\/variety.com\/2026\/tv\/news\/greys-anatomy-kevin-mckidd-kim-raver-exit-series-1236698292\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Variety<\/a> in March. \u201cAs that chapter comes to a close, I\u2019m looking forward to what\u2019s ahead\u2014building new work, telling new stories, and taking everything I\u2019ve learned into the next phase of my career.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Raver also reflected on her time with the series, saying, \u201cTo my amazingly talented castmates and our formidable, tireless crew: playing in this arena with you has been a joy, and I will carry this company in my heart always.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Even with a few familiar faces missing, <em>Grey\u2019s Anatomy<\/em> isn\u2019t ready to close the book on Meredith Grey just yet.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><script type=\"text\/plain\" class=\"optanon-category-C0023\">\n\t(function(d, s, id) {\n\t\tvar js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];\n\t\tif (d.getElementById(id)) return;\n\t\tjs = d.createElement(s); js.id = id;\n\t\tjs.src = \"\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/sdk.js#xfbml=1&appId=823934954307605&version=v2.8\";\n\t\tfjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs);\n\t}(document, 'script', 'facebook-jssdk'));\n<\/script><script async src=\"\/\/www.instagram.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><script async=\"async\" data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/pl30214220.effectivecpmnetwork.com\/9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<div id=\"container-9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\"><\/div>\r\n<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Meredith Grey may not be in the picture, but she\u2019s still part of the Grey\u2019s Anatomy story. Grey\u2019s Anatomy fans had one very important question after seeing the first look at the season 23 cast: Where is Meredith Grey? Ellen Pompeo, who has played the iconic surgeon since the ABC medical drama premiered in 2005,&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":17159,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/decider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/TCDGRAN_AB098.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=1156","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-17158","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news-hub"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17158","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=17158"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17158\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/17159"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=17158"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=17158"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=17158"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}