Grey’s Anatomy consulting producer Elisabeth Finch has been placed on administrative leave following an allegation that she may have fudged details about her medical and personal history while writing for the ABC drama, Deadline has confirmed. Finch’s claims are currently under review.
The writer, who is 44, is best known for penning “Silent All These Years,” a 2019 episode about a rape victim that also featured Finch in a non-speaking role as a nurse. (She’s the one leading the gurney in the below clip).
The Los Angeles law firm of Lavely & Singer, which represents Finch, released this statement to Deadline: “Ms. Finch will not disclose her private health matters. 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.”
According to a report in The Ankler, part of Finch’s appeal within Grey’s Anatomy producer Shondaland is how open and honest she’s been about her past medical woes. Some of her past claims included how she was diagnosed with a rare form of bone cancer, how she lost a kidney and part of her leg but was then misdiagnosed, and how she had endured verbal and sexual abuse by a male director while writing for The Vampire Diaries.
Besides writing for Grey’s, Finch was a prolific freelancer who shared her personal medical stories with outlets like Elle, The Hollywood Reporter and the Shondaland website. A rep for Shondlanda told The Ankler, “Only Elisabeth can speak to her personal story.”
ABC is obviously walking a tightrope with its investigation since medical records are private. Finch is still an accomplished TV writer, whose previous credits include Vampire Diaries, No Ordinary Family and True Blood. She joined Grey’s Anatomy in 2015.
An ABC spokesperson declined comment.
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