Grey’s Anatomy has been on the air for 20 years now, and after Ellen Pompeo reduced her role in front of the camera a few years ago, only two actors have the privilege of being able to say they’ve been series regulars on all 22 seasons — Chandra Wilson and James Pickens Jr. It’s hard to imagine Grey Sloan Memorial without Miranda Bailey and Richard Webber, but the actress revealed that she actually thought she wouldn’t make it to Season 2.
Bailey made a quick impression on both the new interns and the fans with her “I have five rules” speech in the Grey’s Anatomy series premiere in 2005 (and she continues to be a presence on current episodes airing on the 2025 TV schedule). After that first season, however, Chandra Wilson became pregnant with her third child, and she said on Good Morning America she thought that meant her time on the show was over, recalling:
My first instinct was to get in touch with [creator Shonda Rhimes] and say, ‘Thank you so much for allowing me to play Dr. Bailey for the first season, and I understand that I’ll have to step away now.’ She was like, ‘I don’t know what you’re talking about. Don’t be ridiculous.’ And that was news to my ears.
After two decades of seeing the strong women that Shonda Rhimes champions in her series, she certainly doesn’t seem like the kind of boss to let someone go because they’re having a baby. Chandra Wilson didn’t know that, though, back in 2005, and she was apparently surprised to hear that she’d be able to continue in her Grey’s Anatomy role.
She went on to give birth to her son Michael, who she said was the medical drama’s first “show baby,” and since then, Chandra Wilson says there have been at least 36 babies born to various cast members.
In fact, Shonda Rhimes has become famously wonderful to work for when you’re pregnant. Katie Lowes, who starred in Scandal and has appeared on four of Shonda Rhimes’ series, said Rhimes fostered such a sense of community and support, saying (per Business Insider):
She took care of me so much so that she didn’t even want me going up and down the stairs of my trailer. They built me a porch so that it was safe. In fact, I should’ve had 7,500 babies while Shonda Rhimes was my boss, because she takes care of pregnant women and moms unbelievably well.
Ellen Pompeo had a similar experience, saying on the Call Her Daddy podcast earlier this year that Shonda Rhimes’ best quality as a boss was “so easy to answer.” She continued:
When you tell her you’re pregnant, you’re having a baby, she literally, like, sounds the bell, the confetti comes down. ‘How many days do you need off? What can we do for you? How do we make this easier for you? How do we get you paid and keep your job? We’re gonna write your scenes, and you only have to work one day a week.’ I mean, she’s extraordinary in that way.
Shonda Rhimes may not be running the day-to-day over on Grey’s Anatomy, but it seems being able to have a family is still held in high regard for those who want to. In the milestone 450th episode that aired October 16, longtime writer Zoanne Clack echoed her own journey of having a child via a donor through Maggie Pierce’s storyline.
It’s great to hear that Chandra Wilson and the other parents on Grey’s Anatomy’s cast had so much support, and I’m so thankful that the actress was able to put in another 21 seasons — and counting! — after that first one.
Grey’s Anatomy airs at 10 p.m. ET Thursdays on ABC and can be streamed the next day with a Hulu subscription.