'Grey's Anatomy': Beloved Writer Placed on Administrative Leave Amid Investigation

Grey's Anatomy writer Elisabeth Finch has been placed on administrative leave amid allegations that she may have fabricated personal stories and essays she has written and shared in the past, particularly regarding her medical history. The Ankler was first to report this week that amid the concerns, an investigation was launched by Disney to determine if Finch exaggerated her claims.

According to The Ankler, Finch, 44, has claimed she was diagnosed with a rare form of bone cancer just a year before she Grey's hired her. The outlet also reported that Finch claimed she was forced to get an abortion as she underwent "several brutal rounds of chemotherapy." Finch also allegedly said she lost a kidney and part of her leg but was then misdiagnosed and was the victim of verbal and sexual abuse from a male director on The Vampire Diaries. Finch opened up about some of these ailments, some of which made their way into the hit ABC medical drama's storylines, in personal essays she wrote for publications including Elle, The Hollywood Reporter, and the Shondaland website. However, sources told The Ankler that "there are serious concerns within Shondaland and Disney that at least parts of Finch's life story she shared in the writers room and with press were made up."

Sources later confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter that Disney's human resources and legal departments are conducting an internal investigation into Finch's claims to determine if elements of her story are not accurate. The sources claimed that doubt over Finch's claims first arose "after the writer cited a family emergency and left the writers' room to address a family matter. When colleagues phoned Finch's wife, Jennifer Beyer, whom Finch is currently in the middle of a divorce with, similarities to the story Finch told her colleagues and Beyer's history matched." The sources alleged that Finch was placed on administrative leave and an investigation was launched after Beyer raised concerns with Disney and Shondaland executives.

"Ms. Finch will not disclose her private health matters," Finch's lawyer, Andrew Brettler, of Lavely & Singer, said in a statement. "Likewise, she will not speak about her pending divorce from her estranged wife, Jennifer Beyer, or comment on any statements that Ms. Beyer may have made to third parties about Ms. Finch."

Finch joined Grey's Anatomy in 2014 and has been credited as a consulting producer in recent seasons. She is perhaps best known for writing the 2019 episode "Silent All These Years," which also featured Finch in a non-speaking role as a nurse. Finch's other credits include No Ordinary Family and Looking for My Brother.