Some of the best “Grey Anatomy’s” episodes involve Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo) and Derek “McDreamy” Shepherd (Patrick Dempsey) cozying up and being in love with each other. For years, they were the show’s standout couple, and the actors’ on-screen chemistry was so strong that Pompeo’s real-life husband got jealous watching them smooch. That said, while the performers seemingly got along behind the scenes (some rumors claim there was friction between them), Pompeo felt somewhat validated after Dempsey left “Grey’s Anatomy” in season 11.

While speaking to The Hollywood Reporter in 2018, Pompeo revealed that her co-star’s exit gave her more power when negotiating her contracts to remain part of the hit medical drama’s ensemble. She recalled network executives repeatedly telling her that they didn’t need her to stay on while Dempsey was still there, as he was popular enough to carry the show. When he left, though, Pompeo had more leverage to command a higher price. As she put it:

“At one point, I asked for $5,000 more than him just on principle, because the show is ‘Grey’s Anatomy,’ and I’m Meredith Grey. They wouldn’t give it to me. And I could have walked away, so why didn’t I? It’s my show; I’m the number one. I’m sure I felt what a lot of these other actresses feel: ‘Why should I walk away from a great part because of a guy?’ You feel conflicted, but then you figure, ‘I’m not going to let a guy drive me out of my own house.’”

According to Pompeo, the show experienced an upturn in the ratings when Dempsey’s character was killed off, which she found rather amusing. However, it seems that his departure also sent ABC into panic mode, as the network was determined to find another hunky boy to play Meredith’s new love interest.

ABC wouldn’t leave Ellen Pompeo alone following Patrick Dempsey’s Grey’s Anatomy exit

Once upon a time, some higher-ups at the ABC network tried to convince Ellen Pompeo that they didn’t need her for “Grey’s Anatomy” to succeed. However, as soon as Patrick Dempsey left the series, they wouldn’t leave her alone. Pompeo recalled a story about visiting Sicily so that she could unwind and forget about work for a minute, only to receive constant calls from her bosses asking about actors they could get to play Meredith’s next love interest. As she told THR:

“And they’re sending pictures. I was like, ‘Are you people f***ing nuts? Why do you feel that you have to replace this person?’ I couldn’t believe how fast the studio and the network felt like they had to get a penis in there.”

While Pompeo didn’t mention any actors by name, Scott Elrod was the first actor to play one of Meredith’s love interests following Dempsey’s departure, although it’s unknown how much influence Pompeo had on his casting. Conversely, she might have been talking about Martin Henderson, whose character, Nathan Riggs, has a more serious relationship with Meredith in season 12. Regardless, Pompeo’s presence and input on the show became more valuable as the years progressed. More than that, her behind-the-scenes roles increased, once again proving that she didn’t need Dempsey to succeed on “Grey’s Anatomy.”

Ellen Pompeo broke down barriers on Grey’s Anatomy

Ellen Pompeo was wise to stick with “Grey’s Anatomy” for so long, as the show’s creator, Shonda Rhimes, elevated her as her own stock rose in the eyes of network execs. After Patrick Dempsey left the series, Pompeo made some serious bank and got to executive produce the “Station 19” spin-off about firefighters in Seattle, allowing her to gain more opportunities. Back in the day, ABC tried to tell Pompeo that it didn’t need her, only to later reward her in big ways, as she explained in the aforementioned interview with THR:

“It looked like [Shonda Rhimes] letting me be the highest-paid woman on television, letting me be a producer on this show, letting me be a co-executive producer on the spin-off, and signing off on the deal that the studio gave me, which is unprecedented.”

Speaking of spin-offs, Rhimes pondered making a “Grey’s Anatomy” offshoot about the Shepherd sisters, which could have kept Derek’s memory alive and well in some way. The idea was scrapped pretty quickly, though, presumably because the characters aren’t interesting enough to warrant their own series.

“Grey’s Anatomy” is currently streaming on both Netflix and Hulu.