Ellen Pompeo isn’t quite ready for her younger daughter to watch Grey’s Anatomy just yet.
During her appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live, the 55-year-old actress talked about how the iconic medical drama is attracting a new generation of viewers as it celebrates its 20th anniversary.
Pompeo, who shares three children with music producer Chris Ivery, explained to host Jimmy Kimmel why she isn’t comfortable with her 10-year-old daughter, Sienna, watching the show.
“My 15-year-old [Stella] has seen it, and now my 10-year-old wants to watch,” Pompeo shared. “She’s not ready, but a lot of kids in her class have already seen it.”
Pompeo added, “No judgment on other parents, but I just don’t want my daughter to see me in my underwear on TV just yet.” She laughed before continuing, “But all her classmates have seen it, so that makes for some interesting conversations at pick-up.”
Pompeo, who has been married to Ivery since 2007, shares three kids: Eli, 6, Sienna, and Stella.
After stepping back from her role on Grey’s Anatomy, Pompeo told The Drew Barrymore Show in December 2022 that she’s “super happy” and excited to spend more time with her family.
“I have three kids, and it’s really important for me to be around for them and be more present,” she said.
Though Pompeo tends to keep her family life private, she has opened up about her children from time to time.
In a 2016 interview with PEOPLE, she discussed the importance of role models, particularly for her daughters, emphasizing the need to expose them to “beautiful, powerful, strong Black women” through media.
“My daughters are Black, so it’s very important to me that they see lots of images of beautiful, powerful, strong Black women,” Pompeo explained. “Whenever there’s a Black woman on a magazine cover—whether it’s Kerry Washington or anyone else—I make sure that magazine is in my house.”
Pompeo also shared the wisdom she hopes to pass down to her girls: “We get better with age. We should empower each other, have compassion for one another, and feel good about ourselves.” She added, “I think there are a lot of glass ceilings, and we have to keep breaking them.”
Reflecting on the societal pressures around age, she said, “The truth is, we do get better with age. Society has told us that we don’t, but it’s actually us who get better with age, not men.”
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