Ellen Pompeo opened up about how and when Grey’s Anatomy will end

Grey’s Anatomy fans can finally exhale, because it appears the long-running medical drama doesn’t have a definitive end date just yet. In a September interview with Entertainment Weekly—just one week before the series Season 15 premiere—Ellen Pompeo appeared to hint that Grey’s Anatomy could end with Season 16, when her current contract is set to expire.

However, in a recent interview with Entertainment Tonight, Pompeo set the record straight, reiterating the pact she and creator Shonda Rhimes have regarding the show.

"It's something Shonda and I will decide together," Pompeo said. "I've been doing it a long time and I do get restless, but the fans are just still so passionate about the show. I think the fans will let us know. When the numbers start to drop and people aren't watching the same, people aren't as passionate about it...it's time to call it."

That’s right, Meredith Grey is not leaving Sloan Grey Memorial anytime soon.

The series, which premiered in 2005, is still one of the most beloved and durable primetime dramas. Last month, Rhimes told EW that she’s written an ending for the show six times over the years only to have the series continue beyond those major moments.

Referencing her penchant for hinting at the end of Grey’s, Pompeo joked to ET that it’s something she’s been talking about since the series kicked off over a decade ago. She said, “I’ve been saying, for the record, that the show is going to end since Season 2.”

While Grey’s Anatomy will eventually have to end someday, we’re glad that day isn’t coming in the immediate future. We can now watch the show’s “Season of Love” without having to wonder if we’re actually witnessing the beginning of the end.