Grey’s Anatomy star Ellen Pompeo kisses husband as kids join them for very rare public appearance

Daughter Stella, 15, and eight-year-old son Eli were both in attendance, joined by their father and Ellen’s husband Chris Ivery as Ellen was honored on April 29.’

“Everybody say ‘Sienna’ because she’s not here!” Ellen was heard telling her children as they had their picture taken; Sienna is Ellen’s 10-year-old daughter who was unable to attend.

“This doesn’t happen overnight, and it doesn’t happen easily. It takes a village. I love you Stella. I love you Eli,” Ellen said during her speech calling out her two children.

Ellen wore a gorgeous silk-printed skirt with a salmon pink top for the ceremony; Stella wore a black-and-white polka dot midi dress while Eli wore a smart navy blue suit.

Ellen’s husband looked stylish in grey pants and matching waistcoat, with a shirt-sleeved white shirt, and he was pictured giving Ellen a congratulatory kiss.

The pair met in 2003 at the grocery store and tied the knot in 2007 in a private ceremony with one legal witness, then-New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg. 

Chris is a former music executive who, according to his LinkedIn, works at Sergio Tacchini as the brand’s chief executive for lifestyle marketing.

During her speech Ellen thanked Shonda Rhimes for allowing her to balance both her career and motherhood.

“Shonda allowed me to have a career, and get paid and be a mother,” she said, claiming that it was not common in the industry to have a showrunner that allowed talent to do so.

Shonda was also in attendance and paid tribute to Ellen, recalling their first meeting in 2004 and how she returned home after their lunch and wrote in her journal: “This girl is a spitfire. She will lay you out with the truth, up, down and sideways.”.

“I was absolutely thrilled and a little bit terrified,” Shonda continued, “because it’s rare to meet somebody like her. Very few people are who they present themselves to be. But Ellen is exactly who she says she is.”

“She’s fierce and funny and thoughtful and caring. She’s a businesswoman, a talented actor, a kind friend and a great mom,” said Shonda. “And I don’t care who you are, even if you’re the most powerful showrunner on TV, if you step out of line Ellen will tell you about yourself”.

Ellen has kept her family out of the spotlight but most recently has discussed how her girls in particular are keen to watch the hit ABC show she starred in for two decades, especially as it has gained newer and younger audiences.

“My 15-year-old [Stella] has seen it, and now my 10-year-old wants to see it,” she told Jimmy Kimmel earlier in 2025, adding: “She’s not ready, but a lot of kids in her class have seen it.”

“No judgment on other parents. But I don’t want my daughter to see me in my underwear on television just yet. But all her classmates have so that makes for great conversation at pick-up.”