Whether you can believe it or not, Grey's Anatomy is celebrating its milestone 20th anniversary.
The beloved series premiered on March 27, 2005, on ABC, initially as a mid-season replacement, though it quickly became one of the network's most popular shows, with some episodes reaching 25 million viewers in its earlier seasons.
A lot has changed and happened in the last two decades; most of the original cast, including lead stars Ellen Pompeo and Patrick Dempsey, are no longer part of the show, viewership is no longer what it used to be, and the actors' payday has certainly changed as well.
Ellen, recently speaking with Alexandra Cooper on her Call Her Daddy podcast, opened up about her industry-defining $20 million salary upgrade from 2018, which came after years of her co-star Patrick getting paid more than her.
"He was a bigger star than I was at that point. No one knew who I was. Everybody knew who he was, so he did deserve that money," she said, though noted: "It's just, being that I was the namesake of the show, I deserved the same and that was harder to get."
Ellen, who left the show as a series regular on February 23, 2023, went on to become the highest paid actress in a drama series. Catch up below on what the original cast's net worth is today, along with some throwback photos of the early days of Grey's!
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© GettyEllen Pompeo
Ellen, who was the one and only Meredith Grey from 2005 until 2023, has a reported net worth of $80 million.
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© GettyPatrick Dempsey
Patrick, aka Derek Shepherd, aka McDreamy, who left the show in 2015, has a reported net worth of $85 million.
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© GettyChandra Wilson
Chandra, one of the few original cast members still on the show today, as Miranda Bailey, has a reported net worth of $10 million.
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© GettyJustin Chambers
Justin, who starred as Alex Karev until 2020, has a reported net worth of $18 million.
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© GettySandra Oh
Sandra played Meredith's partner in crime Christina Yang until 2014, and has a reported net worth of $25 million.
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© GettyKatherine Heigl
Katherine, who has spoken out about her complicated relationship with the show, and is the only one of the actors to have won an Emmy for it, starred as Izzie Stevens until 2020. She has a reported net worth of $30 million.
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© GettyJames Pickens Jr.
James, one of the few other original cast members still on the show, as the beloved Richard Webber, has a reported net worth of $13 million.
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© GettyT.R. Knight
T.R., who was on the show until 2009, and left after on-set disputes, including an incident in which fellow original cast member Isaiah Washington called him a gay slur, has a reported net worth of $4 million.
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© GettyIsaiah Washington
Isaiah was on the show as Preston Burke from 2005 to 2007, and has a reported net worth of $500,000.
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© GettyKevin McKidd
Kevin joined Grey's Anatomy as Owen Hunt in 2008, and has a reported net worth of $14 million.
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© GettyJesse Williams
Jesse starred as Jackson Avery on Grey's from 2009 to 2022, and has a reported net worth of $12 million.
