Ellen Pompeo (center) with husband Chris Ivery and their kids Stella and Eli in Hollywood, Calif. on April 29, 2025. Photo:
Michael Buckner/Variety via Getty
Ellen Pompeo is feeling the love from her family.
The Grey’s Anatomy star, 55, received her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Tuesday, April 29, and was joined by her husband Chris Ivery and two of their three kids — daughters Stella, 15, and son Eli, 8.
Full of smiles, a stylish Pompeo posed in between her two kids, putting an arm around each of them. Stella wore a black-and-white polka dot dress and white heels, accessorizing with a white clutch while Eli wore a navy suit and a white T-shirt. Ivery stood on the other side, wearing grey dress pants, a matching grey vest and a white collared T-shirt.
“Everybody say Sienna because she’s not here!” Pompeo could be heard saying as photographers snapped their pictures, referring to the couple’s 10-year-old daughter.
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Ellen Pompeo (center) with her husband and kids. Michael Buckner/Variety via Getty
In her speech, Pompeo sweetly shouted out her two kids, saying, “This doesn’t happen overnight, and it doesn’t happen easily. It takes a village. I love you Stella. I love you Eli.”
She also thanked Shonda Rhimes, who spoke at Pompeo’s ceremony, for allowing her to balance both her career and motherhood. “Shonda allowed me to have a career, and get paid and be a mother,” she said, noting that it was not common in her industry.
During an appearance on The Jennifer Hudson Show earlier this month, Pompeo opened up about what her family thinks of Grey’s Anatomy, in which she’s starred as Meredith Grey since 2005. Sharing that her husband of 18 years Ivery has never even seen it, Pompeo admitted her older daughter Stella used to be a fan.
“It gets to a point where they get to be 10 or 11 and all the classmates start watching it and she says ‘Mommy, can I watch it?'” she explained. “And I can’t believe it sometimes.”
She and Stella watched “a few seasons” until one scene left her too distraught to keep going.
From Left: Ellen Pompeo and Chris Ivery. Michael Buckner/Variety via Getty
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“I think she had it, and a lot of people do, when they see 007,” Pompeo recalled, referring to the death of T.R. Knight’s George O’Malley, who entered the hospital as an unknown patient before revealing himself by tracing “007” on Meredith’s palm.
“When they see that George O’Malley died, they say, ‘I’m done, I just can’t do it anymore,’ ” she continued. “So I think she made it as far as that.”
Although she’s okay with Stella watching the show, Pompeo draws the line at Sienna seeing the series. During her appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live in March, the actress spoke about how Shonda Rhimes‘ hit medical drama is gaining a new audience in the younger generation as the series celebrates its 20th anniversary.
“My 15-year-old [Stella] has seen it, and now my 10-year-old wants to see it,” she told the late-night host, 57. “She’s not ready, but a lot of kids in her class have seen it.”
“No judgment on other parents. But I don’t want my daughter to see me in my underwear on television just yet,” Pompeo continued, before adding, “But all her classmates have so… That makes for great conversation at pick-up.”
