Ellen Pompeo was left in awe of Taylor Swift’s generosity.
The Grey’s Anatomy star recently shared that Swift once surprised her with a massive donation to Children’s Hospital Los Angeles.
“They have an amazing program where they create music for babies in the NICU,” Pompeo explained on The Jennifer Hudson Show (April 2).
“Since parents often have to work and can’t always be there, they record their voices singing nursery rhymes or telling stories, so the babies can hear them throughout the day.”
Pompeo and her husband, Chris Ivery, were volunteering at the hospital around the same time she appeared in Swift’s 2014 Bad Blood music video. Seizing the moment, Pompeo mustered the courage to ask Swift for help.
“I just got up the chutzpah and said, ‘Could you write me a big, old check for Children’s?’” she recalled.
“She had only known me for about 20 minutes, and she wrote me the biggest check without blinking an eye,” Pompeo said.
Beyond the donation, the experience scored major points with Pompeo’s daughters—Stella (15), Sienna (10), and Eli (8).
“That got me so much mileage with both of the girls,” she joked. “Taylor is such a good girl. I didn’t really know her before, but she invited me to be in the video, and I thought, ‘Oh, that would be fun.’”
And Swift’s generosity isn’t just limited to one act of kindness. At the end of her record-breaking Eras Tour in 2023, the singer gifted her entire team—including truck drivers, caterers, dancers, and security—$197 million in bonuses to show her appreciation.
After all, Swift—who has been dating Travis Kelce since 2023—knows it takes a team to turn dreams into reality.

Olekanma Favour is a resourceful, self-motivated, and result-driven writer with a passion for crafting compelling narratives and insightful content. She loves tackling complex topics and weaving engaging stories.
When she’s not writing, Olekanma enjoys immersing herself in a good book, exploring new cuisines, and discovering new cultures.