Grey's Anatomy' Star Ellen Pompeo Talks $20 Million Contract Pompeo, who plays Meredith Grey on the long-running show, touted her longevity on the ABC hit as the main reason why she deserves the pay increase. the truth is, anybody can be good on a show season one and two. Can you be good 14 years later? Now, that's a fuckin' skill." Pompeo currently brings in $575,000 per episode for her starring role. She partly credits show creator Shonda Rimes as the reason she felt comfortable asking for a raise. In Shonda finding her power and becoming more comfortable with her power, she has empowered me," Pompeo said. "And that took her a while to get to, too. According to Pompeo and her management, Grey's Anatomy has generated $3 billion in revenue for Disney.