'Grey's Anatomy': Ellen Pompeo Admits Make Out Scenes With Patrick Dempsey Affected Her Husband

Ellen Pompeo has admitted that her husband, Chris Ivery, initially had a tough time watching her smooches and steamy make out scenes on “Grey’s Anatomy.”

The actress also revealed why her husband was not always a fan of Patrick Dempsey’s character, Derek Shepherd.

During InStyle's “Ladies First with Laura Brown” podcast, Pompeo talked about her husband’s initial reaction to her sexy scenes with Dempsey, who played her love interest in the hit medical series.

“We met in 2002. It was about six months before I did the pilot to ‘Grey’s Anatomy.’ Poor guy had no idea what he was getting into,” she told host Laura Brown.

“I remember in the beginning it was really hard for him. He was like, ‘This is not what I signed up for. You go to work and make out with that. ‘I like Patrick and everything, he’s a good dude, but like really? What? You actresses are nuts. Like I’m supposed to put up with this?’” she added.

Despite her insane onscreen chemistry with Dempsey, the 51-year-old actress said her husband is still her favorite. “He was really a trooper. He’s my favorite person,” she said.

Pompeo and Ivery met in 2002, three years before “Grey’s Anatomy” premiered in 2005. They tied the knot in 2007 and are now parents to daughters Stella Luna, Sienna, and Eli.

Meanwhile, Dempsey returned as a pseudo-angel in the 17^th season of “Grey’s Anatomy” in April after leaving in 2015. In a previous interview with Variety, the actor said his epic reunion with Pompeo was a beautiful way to close their story arc.

“I thought it was a beautiful way to close it,” he told the outlet. “The intention was to really give people some hope because they are such an iconic couple,” he added.

Back in November 2020, Pompeo also said, what she and Dempsey shared was a “genuine affection” for each other.

“Patrick and I have this chemistry where I think even from when we first met, for some reason, it just felt like we’ve known each other for a hundred years, and it’s just the same feeling,” she told Deadline. “It’s like riding a bike, we just have a chemistry and a dynamic that’s always served us well, and I think we have a genuine affection for each other.”