Ellen Pompeo’s Return to ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Has ‘Got to Be Satisfying’: She ‘Made Grey’s What It Is’

TV doc Ellen Pompeo may feeling an ego boost after producers asked her to slip back into her scrubs for an upcoming multi-episode stint on Grey’s Anatomy as the medical drama struggles without her, entertainment insiders exclusively tell Closer.

In May, the former megahit experienced sickly ratings — attracting just 2.75 million viewers in that month’s worst-performing broadcast. The number is a far cry from the 25 million who tuned in to catch its season 3 debut in 2006!

As surgeon Meredith Grey, Pompeo received a weepy onscreen send-off last year — but the 54-year-old still gets top billing in the show’s opening credits and serves as an executive producer and the series’ narrator.

But sources exclusively tell Closer that the star — who hauled in over $20 million annually during her heyday as TV’s highest-paid actress — has agreed to return for at least seven of the slated 18 episodes of Grey’s 21st season, which debuts in September.

“Ellen made Grey’s what it is — and she knows it. So it’s got to be satisfying that it never achieved the same success after she stopped her regular onscreen appearances,” an insider says. “But some people are now wondering if her oversized ego will explode even more!”