Ellen Pompeo Blasts Netflix for Shunning 'Grey’s Anatomy' Residuals: Attention Must be Paid!

Ellen Pompeo is criticizing Netflix for their payment system during the current SAG-AFTRA strike. Following the release of a picture on the official Netflix TikTok account featuring Pompeo's Grey's Anatomy character, Meredith Grey, standing with crossed arms over her chest, accompanied by the caption "Me when there's a in the chest cavity," Pompeo, who is 53 years old, posted a screenshot of the photo on her Instagram Story.

"Also, when @netflix fails to pay actors their residuals, let's discuss," she wrote in the caption of her upload on Tuesday, July 18th.

Pompeo, who departed from the long-running medical drama after 19 seasons earlier this year, disclosed in a January 2018 interview with The Hollywood Reporter that she was earning $20 million per year for her role in Grey's Anatomy. She admitted to initially feeling "greedy" when negotiating pay raises, but her perspective shifted when she recognized the importance of the show and her contribution to it.

Grey’s has generated nearly $3 billion for Disney, leading Pompeo to believe that she deserves a share of this tremendous earnings. It is not just Pompeo who has raised concerns about Netflix's failure to pay residuals. Kimiko Glenn, known for her role as Soso in Orange Is the New Black, claimed in a TikTok video that despite the show's success, many of her fellow cast members had to take on additional jobs to make ends meet while filming.

Ellen Pompeo, Jesse Williams and Justin Chambers. Abc-Tv/Kobal/Shutterstock

"They were extremely famous, known worldwide. They were unable to go outside without being recognized, yet they still had to maintain their second jobs due to financial constraints. We couldn't even afford transportation to the film set," Glenn, 34, asserted in the video.

Sean Gunn, known for his role as the quirky Stars Hollow resident Kirk in Gilmore Girls, also voiced his frustration about not receiving any advantages from the show's ongoing popularity on Netflix while participating in the SAG-AFTRA strike.

"When the show becomes a massive hit and generates millions in profits for Netflix, we are not given a share of that success primarily due to the lack of transparency with their viewership numbers," he stated in a Twitter video on Saturday. "It is only fair for us to participate in the success of a show if it does well."

On Friday, July 14, the Screen Actors Guild — American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) officially decided to join the Writers Guild of America (WGA) in going on strike against the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Production (AMPTP). The strike was a result of failed negotiations concerning fair wages and the incorporation of artificial intelligence in the industry.

SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher referred to the moment as a significant one for union members, describing it as "a very seminal hour." Speaking at a press conference the day before the strike began, Drescher expressed her initial hopes of avoiding a strike, but acknowledged the gravity of the situation. She emphasized that the impact would extend beyond union members to include other industries that serve the entertainment industry, highlighting that the union had no alternative but to take this course of action. Drescher stated, "We are the victims here, being victimized by a highly avaricious entity."

In a statement on Thursday, July 13, the AMPTP acknowledged that the strike did not meet their expectations. They expressed regret that the Union has chosen a course of action that will result in financial difficulty for numerous individuals reliant on the industry.