Shonda Rhimes Reveals How She Became Inspired to Write Grey’s Anatomy

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Shonda Rhimes turned tragedy—and life circumstances—into triumph.

The famous TV creator explained she began writing Grey’s Anatomy in 2002 because she wasn’t happy with what was on television and wanted to create something new herself.

Shonda Rhimes shared on the March 10th episode of the Stockton Street podcast with Serena and Venus Williams that after 9/11, she started thinking about what she’d regret most if her life were to end. She realized she really wanted to become a mother.

My eldest daughter, Harper, now 23, was born just nine months and two days after the 9/11 attacks,” the 56-year-old shared. “I also adopted a daughter, and it was a wonderful experience.

She explained, “Having a baby also meant I basically became a homebody. When you’re a new parent, you just want to stay home and focus on the baby.”

Shonda knew becoming a mom would bring changes, but she didn’t anticipate such a significant shift in her career.

She started watching a lot of television and realized there wasn’t anything she was truly interested in. That’s why she created Grey’s Anatomy – she essentially wrote the show she wanted to see. She also learned the fundamentals of television writing while working on it.

It’s incredible when you consider Shonda Rhimes, a mother of two daughters, Emerson and Beckett (ages 12 and 11), had no prior television writing experience when she started. Considering Grey’s Anatomy is still running after 22 seasons—premiering in 2005 and earning 38 Emmy nominations—her accomplishment is even more remarkable.

The creator of Grey’s Anatomy, who also ran the show for its first eight seasons, explained that they experimented with many ideas, unsure of what would resonate with viewers. Ultimately, they were pleased to find that their vision aligned with what the audience wanted to see.

The show has been incredibly popular with audiences and is now the longest-running medical drama ever. Despite its long run, the creator, Shonda, still hasn’t decided how the series will eventually conclude.

Shonda Rhimes revealed on the Today show in October that she had a general idea of how the show would end around episode 150. However, with the show now at episode 450, she admits she doesn’t know what will happen next. She wasn’t even certain the show would make it past seasons four or five, so reaching season 22 feels incredible.

She feels the final decision about ending the show won’t be made by her alone. She’d probably discuss it with the show’s main cast members, including original stars like Ellen Pompeo, James Pickens Jr., and Chandra Wilson.

As Shonda put it, “I want everybody to end in a really positive, great way.”

For a look back at more of Grey’s Anatomy’s most jaw-dropping moments, keep reading.

The first episode of Grey’s Anatomy started with a surprise for new intern Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo): she discovered that the attractive man she’d spent the night with – played by Patrick Dempsey – was actually her new boss, the famous surgeon Dr. Derek Shepherd. Talk about awkward!

Viewers were as shocked as Meredith in the first season finale when Addison Montgomery (Kate Walsh) arrived at Seattle Grace and confronted her and Derek with the now-famous line, “You must be the woman who’s been having an affair with my husband.”

Early in its second season, Grey’s Anatomy aired a dramatic episode immediately after the Super Bowl. Viewers watched with bated breath as Meredith Grey bravely inserted her hand into a body cavity to prevent a live explosive from going off. Just when everyone felt relieved as the bomb squad chief, Dylan (played by Kyle Chandler), carried the explosive away, it detonated, tragically injuring him.

Viewers became invested in the romance between Izzie (Katherine Heigl) and Denny Duquette (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) as he waited for a heart transplant during the second half of season two, rooting for them to find happiness together. However, when Izzie’s desperate attempt to get him moved higher on the transplant list tragically backfired and he died in the season finale, it became clear that Grey’s Anatomy wasn’t afraid to break hearts and didn’t guarantee happy endings.

Season three featured a dramatic ferry accident, and two moments particularly stood out. Was it more shocking to see Meredith almost drown after falling into the icy water, or to hear her reveal that she’d actually stopped fighting to stay alive?

At the start of season three, Lexie Grey (Chyler Leigh) joined Seattle Grace Hospital as an intern. Her arrival echoed Derek’s first meeting with Meredith – they had a similar initial encounter, but thankfully didn’t end up sleeping together! Lexie quickly introduced herself to George O’Malley (T.R. Knight). As it turned out, Lexie was Meredith’s younger half-sister, one of two daughters raised by their father, Thatcher, and his second wife, Susan, adding another layer to the hospital’s already complex relationships.

More than two years after his character died, Denny unexpectedly reappeared – as a ghost, and in a highly controversial scene, he had a romantic encounter with Izzie. This bizarre moment was meant to subtly hint to both Izzie and the audience that she was seriously ill. It was eventually revealed she had advanced melanoma, which had spread to her brain and other parts of her body.

Everyone thought Izzie was going to die in the season five finale, but the mystery surrounding George’s disappearance should have warned viewers that something was wrong with him. When Meredith discovered the unidentified patient hit by a bus – who had been trying to help a woman – was writing “007” (a nickname from earlier in the series) on his hand, she desperately tried to warn the surgeons. Unfortunately, it was too late, and he died.

One of the most shocking moments in Grey’s Anatomy history happened in the season six finale. A grieving widower, after the hospital merged with Mercy West, came to the hospital with a gun and opened fire. Several doctors were killed or hurt, and the scene of Bailey being pulled from under a bed remains incredibly disturbing – though thankfully, she survived. Sadly, Meredith and Derek’s baby didn’t make it; Meredith believed Derek had been killed and tragically miscarried.

Just two seasons after a devastating shooting at the hospital, Shonda Rhimes introduced another major crisis. In the season eight finale, a plane carrying Meredith, Derek, Cristina Yang, Lexie, Mark Sloan, and Arizona Robbins crashed while they were traveling to Boise, Idaho for a surgery. The crash left them stranded and injured in a remote area, and no one knew they were missing. Sadly, Mark and Lexie died in the accident, Arizona lost her leg, and Derek almost permanently lost the use of his hand.

When Sandra Oh decided to leave Grey’s Anatomy after season 10, the show found a dramatic way to say goodbye to her character, Cristina. They brought back Isaiah Washington as Preston Burke – the man who left her at the altar years earlier – and had him offer Cristina his hospital in Switzerland. It was a surprising move, considering Washington had been fired from the show after using a hateful slur against his co-star, T.R. Knight.

The season 10 finale of the show saw Cristina leave and introduced Dr. Maggie Pierce, played by Kelly McCreary, as the new head of cardio-thoracic surgery. In a surprising reveal at the end of the episode, Maggie told Richard (James Pickens Jr.) that she was the daughter of the famous Dr. Ellis Grey, asking if he knew her. This stunned Richard, as he learned he had a daughter, and Meredith discovered she had another sister.

Everyone was shocked when Derek unexpectedly died near the end of season 11. He had just signed a new contract, making his death even more surprising. While killing off Meredith’s husband might have been the only way for creator Shonda Rhimes to remove the character without ruining their eleven-year relationship, it was still a painful moment for viewers.

Mer had already faced a lot, but in the twelfth season’s ninth episode, she was attacked by a patient, resulting in a broken jaw that had to be wired shut to repair her hearing. A particularly powerful scene featured Ellen Pompeo portraying Mer’s panic when her children were unable to visit her while she recovered.

The show addressed Alex Karev’s unexpected departure after Justin Chambers left by revealing he’d reconnected with his ex-wife, Izzie, years after she disappeared and filed for divorce. He discovered she had twins and had been raising them on a farm. Ultimately, he chose to be with his newly discovered family instead of continuing his life in Seattle. It was a completely unexpected plot twist!

During season 17, viewers saw Dr. Andrea “Andrew” DeLuca (Giacomo Gianniotti) tragically die. After battling and overcoming mental health issues, DeLuca had become an attending physician at Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital. However, consistent with the show’s dramatic style, his progress was cut short when he was stabbed by someone connected to a human trafficking operation.

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2026-03-10 23:49