Ellen Pompeo Teases Fate of Grey’s Anatomy Character After Patrick Dempsey’s Surprise Return

Is Meredith Grey…dead?

Grey’s Anatomy shocked fans during its season 17 premiere on Thursday, Nov. 12, when Patrick Dempsey made a surprise return to the beloved series. At the end of the episode, viewers watched as Meredith (Ellen Pompeo) collapsed in the parking lot after working a tough shift amid the ongoing pandemic. The screen then cut to a beach, where Derek Shepherd (Dempsey) can be heard calling out Meredith’s name. As fans will know, Derek died during a 2015 episode of the ABC series.

So, what does this mean for Meredith? That’s what Jimmy Kimmel—and the entire Grey’s Anatomy fanbase—wants to know. 

After the episode aired, Pompeo virtually appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live to address the fate of her character. While Pompeo couldn’t say much, she did reveal that she was at work “yesterday,” so, as Kimmel said to Pompeo, “OK good then you’re alive. Or maybe you’re a ghost haunting the hospital, or maybe you’re in a coma or something like that.”

Kimmel then asked, “Would you like that if you got to be just in a coma and sleep for like half a season?”

Taking a pause, Pompeo played coy, replying, “Huh?”