Ellen Pompeo asked producers of the show to not only match her salary with Dempsey's but to pay her $5,000 more to "make a point."

Ellen Pompeo has been a fan favorite actor since her debut on "Grey's Anatomy" back in 2005. The star was cast for the role of Meredith Grey and the show revolved around her, hence the name, "Grey's Anatomy".

Despite being cast as the lead, Ellen Pompeo was only being paid half of what her male co-star and love interest, Patrick Dempsey, was making. This what not only a major issue for the star during her first season but the pay gap between Ellen and Patrick lasted for the first three seasons of the show.

After years of fighting for equal pay, Ellen Pompeo asked producers of the show to not only match her salary with Dempsey's but to pay her $5,000 more to "make a point". The production company denied Pompeo's request but did, in fact, match her salary with her male counterparts. This sparked a huge conversation in Hollywood and ended up securing Ellen a $20 million per season deal. Let's get into all of that, now!

"Grey's Anatomy" first aired back in 2005 and instantly became one of the most popular and successful medical drama's in television history. The cast itself mesmerized viewers and led them glued to their screens week after week. Two characters who surely made the show as great as it is was none other than Ellen Pompeo and Patrick Dempsey, who played doctors and lovers, Meredith Grey and Derek Shepherd.

Meredith Grey was the lead star, hence the show title, "Grey's Anatomy". Although Pompeo was playing the lead character alongside her male co-star and love interest, Patrick Dempsey, she was not being paid the same amount of money. According to Pompeo herself, Patrick Dempsey was making twice the amountshe was, and that wasn't only for the first season. This sparked major outrage amongst cast and crew of the show and viewers who later found out that production had been paying Ellen less when in reality, she was the star.

The pay gap between Pompeo and Dempsey lasted for a whopping three seasons before she became aware of what was going on. Production obviously leaves out salaries and specific contract details and does not make this type of information cast knowledge, so when Ellen Pompeo found out she'd been making half what Patrick Dempsey was, you know all hell broke loose and rightfully so!

Related: "Grey's Anatomy": These Facts Leave Viewers Scratching Their Heads

When the time came to negotiate her salary for season 4 and on, Ellen Pompeo made things very clear, she wanted equal pay and then some! She not only fought tooth and nail to be paid the same as her male counterpart on the show, but she wanted to see if she could go the extra mile and she definitely tried it.

According to Ellen Pompeo, she requested that the production company pay her only $5,000 more than Patrick Dempsey, to "make a point". While that is by no means a lot of money for a show as popular as "Grey's Anatomy", however, her request was denied. While this definitely sparked a bigger conversation later on in Hollywood regarding equal pay amongst female and male actors, Pompeo got what she wanted, but she was in no way, shape or form,done.

The star would later on become quite vocal about salary gaps in Hollywood and began tackling women's rights issues in the entertainment industry. Ellen also became extremely vocal about diversity in film and television, hitting all the important points on her way to what would become the biggest pay raise in television history.

Related: What Went On Behind The Scenes Of "Grey's Anatomy"?

Ellen Pompeo, who has now starred on the hit medical drama show for a whopping 16 seasons, has found herself breaking all sorts of records. Considering "Grey's Anatomy" gainsmillions of viewers per week in addition to their deal with Netflix, it goes without saying that the show racks in millions annually, and luckily for Ellen Pompeo a lot of that goes directly to her.

After fighting for equal pay in the workforce, particularly in the world of Hollywood, Ellen Pompeo not only made her point but made millions of dollars out of it. Ellen currently holds the record for the highest salary by any television actor to date. She is currently making an impressive $20 million per season, which is not too shabby if we say so ourselves.

While the whole point behind her pay gap movement was not to make more money for herself, despite it working in her favor, but it was to start a bigger conversation and get the ball rolling on viewing female and male actors as the same. Luckily for Ellen, she is not only making millions, but she's managed to stir the pot in quite a positive direction for female actors in the industry.

Next: 15 Lesser Known Facts About Ellen Pompeo's Rise To Fame

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Mike is a contributing news & list writer for Valnet Inc. He holds a degree in Communications and is currently completing a Masters in Media Studies in Montral, Canada. He has been a content creator for over three years and is a self-proclaimed writer by day and reader by night with a passion for all things travel, entertainment and pop-culture related. Check out more on Instagram @MikeChaar.

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Ellen Pompeo's Salary On Season 1 Of Grey's Anatomy Vs What It Is Today - TheThings