Hey, Ellen Pompeo — it’s the holiday season. Maybe it’s time to reach out to someone you haven’t spoken to in a long time.
The “Grey’s Anatomy” star recently appeared on the Facebook Watch show “Red Table Talk” with Jada Pinkett Smith, Willow Smith and Adrienne Banfield-Norris, where she revealed that she and former co-star Patrick Dempsey haven’t talked since he left the hit ABC series in 2015.
Unlike “Grey’s Anatomy,” though, there’s no drama. In fact, Pompeo, 49, only had nice things to say about Dempsey, who played Dr. Derek Shepherd.
"We haven't spoken since he's left the show," Pompeo said. "I have no hard feelings toward him, he's a wonderful actor, and we made, you know, the best TV you could make together.
"That's a talented man right there," Pompeo added. "He did 11 amazing years."
The actress shed some light on why exactly she and Dempsey have gone their separate ways, noting that it’s important for the series' stars to figure out how to identify themselves without the drama after stepping away.
"Typically when people leave the show, they need to sort of re-find themselves, who they are, without the show, because the show takes up so much of your life," Pompeo said. "You need that time to figure out who you are without the show. So, we have not spoken but I will always have a place in my heart for Patrick."
Dempsey and Pompeo both began on the show when it premiered back in 2005. According to IMDB.com, Pompeo and co-star Justin Chambers are the only members of the cast to have appeared in every episode.