Grey's Anatomy Meets Inventing Anna: Did Real Life Grey's Anatomy Writer Elisabeth Finch LIE About Her Cancer?
Grey's Anatomy writer Elisabeth Finch has been accused of fabricating cancer, and lying about other traumas, in order to succeed professional.
This could be the Anna Delvey scandal of the 2020s. Screenwriter Elisabeth Finch has spent years living with chondrosarcoma, an incredibly rare and deadly form of cancer, during which time she has had to grapple with the murder of a friend, a kidney transplant, an abortion, and other traumas which, altogether, seem almost impossible to believe.
And maybe they are.
Vanity Fair just brought this scandal to light this morning, May 2, around 10 AM: An email from Finch's estranged wife, Jennifer Beyer made its way to Shondaland. The earth-shattering email suggested that it was time for the world to stop believing Finch's lies.
While there has been no official confirmation that Finch's stories were fabricated, recollections from co-workers, friends, and family take a number of red flags caught by hindsight and raises them to full mast.
Finch wrote essays illustrating her struggles with illness. She her specific (alleged) form of cancer was unheard of in someone at her young age. It was also unlikely that she would survive through it, and it was recommended she leave work.
Work, at the time, was a writing position on the show Vampire Diaries. The show had a high turnover rate, firing employees easily. Once Finch was diagnosed and made a brave show of continuing on with work, many exceptions were made on her behalf.
Finch refused to have her family visit her during the height of her illness, including family members who were also in the medical field. However, even in her condition, she was able to fly out to important family events. She always left without staying long.
Co-workers also recounted special treatment she received on account of her illness and how, somehow, symptoms and sympathy pulled her back from the brink of being fired on multiple occasions. When she was writing for Grey's Anatomy, at one point, a new showrunner through blind-read submissions let her go. However, once shown her personal essay, Finch was somehow allowed back on the staff.
The alleged lies told by Finch have led her to her dream career where she is now: Not only well liked but lauded as a hero. Vanity Fair's full spread, with all the reciepts for her behavior, is available to read here. (It's wild and if you want every last sip of tea we highly reccommend it.) We will keep you up to date on any new information that corroborates or disproves the allegations.
