Ellen Pompeo’s ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Paycheck Backlash Left Actress ‘Completely Shocked’

Ellen Pompeo was shocked at the backlash to her massive Grey’s Anatomy paycheck, which some fans have blamed for the sudden loss of Jessica Capshaw and Sarah Drew.

Pompeo spoke to PEOPLE back in May, revealing that she had negotiated hard for her annual $20 million paycheck. She hoped to draw attention to the wage gap, as well as the double standard of men showing off their wealth while women stay modest. However, after her co-stars’ contracts were not renewed, her exorbitant earnings were blamed. At the Marie Claire Power Trip conference earlier this month, Pompeo revisited the topic with PEOPLE, admitting that she was shocked by the response — especially from women.

“Women are not used to talking about their salaries,” she said. “Ballplayers, CEOs, any man in tech, they can brag about what they’re worth, but it’s not polite for women to do that. We’re supposed to be shy. That is just ridiculous. We need to brag more. Men have no problem celebrating what they make.”

Still, Pompeo’s moment came at a bad time for fans, who were mourning the sudden loss of Dr. Arizona Robbins (Capshaw) and Dr. April Kepner (Drew.) She noted that she was surprised to see so many women specifically reaching out to her online, implying she had knowingly caused their contracts to end.

“So much of the backlash came from women,” she said. “So many women on social media wrote to me and said, ‘They got fired so you could get a raise.’”

Pompeo said that she might have been able to ignore the backlash if it had come from men, but from her female fans it gave her pause.

“I’m not surprised by anything that men say, but for women to blame me? I was completely shocked,” she went on. “We need to stick together and support each other, not attack each other. We can’t compete against each other and compare ourselves to one another. It’s not productive, and it’s not good for our mental health.”

Pompeo has been speaking out about professional advancement for women all year. Despite the vicious response, she said that it was still important to focus on fighting for rights in the work place.

“As women, I think the first thought that goes through our mind [when discussing salary] is, ‘Am I going to seem difficult if I ask for this number? Are they going to think I’m crazy? Am I going to be hysterical?’” she said. “I don’t think men do that. I had a very real number to derive my number from so it’s not like I just pulled it out of thin air.”