Taylor Swift named her cat after Ellen Pompeo’s Grey’s Anatomy character — and now the actress is returning the loyalty.
After Grey’s cast members Anthony Hill and Harry Shum Jr. took to social media on Saturday, February 3, to share a funny video of them on set arguing over who should win Super Bowl LVIII, Pompeo, 54, who portrays Dr. Meredith Grey on the series and serves as producer, quickly made it clear that all support must be directed one place — behind Swift’s boyfriend, Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce.
“@harryshumjr you know I LOVE YOU … BUT listen up fam … we have a problem… we are Swifties … Sorry I meant Chiefs fans over here at @greysabc,” she joked. “We are going to have to have a talk. Sincerely, your boss 😂.”
Hill, 36, who backed the Kansas City Chiefs in the video, immediately made it clear he appreciated the support, writing, “@ellenpompeo let him knowwww! 😂,” while Shum Jr., who is a 49ers fan, simply replied, “@ellenpompeo ⚰️ 😂 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂.”
In the clip, Hill and Shum Jr. ditched their lab coats to don their respective team’s swag, standing face to face in a staredown before they both broke into fits of laughter. “There will be Gold, Red and Yellow blood shed over here 😂 Bit of a @49ers vs @chiefs rivalry with @anthilll on set of @greysabc —- #superbowl #49ers #chiefs #Sport #BTS #nfl,” the costars captioned the joint Instagram post.
Elsewhere in the comments section, fellow Grey’s star Chris Carmack quipped that they are in for a “relaxing week on set 😳… 😂,” while Jake Borelli asked, “Is this a basketball reference?”
Despite Pompeo’s strict Swiftie rules, the official 49ers Instagram account couldn’t help but also comment, writing, “We see you Dr. Kwan! 😂👏,” referring to Shum Jr.’s character, Benson “Blue” Kwan. The Grey’s Anatomy Instagram, meanwhile, was simply confused: “Don’t remember this in the script 👀,” they added.
The 49ers and the Chiefs secured their Super Bowl LVIII spots on Sunday, January 28, after they defeated the Detroit Lions and Baltimore Ravens, respectively. The teams will now face off in Las Vegas on Sunday, February 11, marking their second Super Bowl matchup in four years. (The Chiefs ultimately defeated the 49ers in 2020 31-20.)
The Chiefs have been an especially popular team this season due to Swift, 34, and Kelce’s romance, which began in summer 2023. The pop star has been to 12 of the athlete’s games since they got together and was on the field to celebrate his AFC championship win last week. She’s also expected to show up and support Kelce at the Super Bowl, despite wrapping up her four-concert stint in Tokyo one day prior.
While Swift has caused a new demographic to flock to the NFL this season, Pompeo has a deeper reason to show her support for the singer. The pair have a longstanding friendship that began with Swift naming her first cat after Pompeo’s Grey’s Anatomy character in 2015.
“Her name is Meredith — Meredith Grey because she’s a gray cat, and because I love Grey’s Anatomy!” the Grammy winner exclusively told Us Weekly in 2015. “She’s awesome. She’s like one of those cats that give cats a good name. She doesn’t hide under furniture and get weird around people. She’s really friendly and fun and she’s perfect for the road because she doesn’t ever get freaked out. So I’m really glad that she has a cool personality.”
Later that year, Pompeo made an appearance in Swift’s “Bad Blood” music video, where she portrayed a member of her girl gang out for revenge. When Swift hit the road for her worldwide Eras Tour in March 2023, Pompeo was one of the first celebrities in the audience.
“That’s a wrap @Taylorswift,” she captioned a photo of herself and her daughters, Stella and Sienna, after the Las Vegas show.
Pompeo has portrayed Meredith Grey on the ABC medical drama since 2005. She announced in September 2022 that she would be reducing her role to film other projects, but she has continued to narrate the episodes, make guest appearances and serves as producer on both Grey’s and its Station 19 spinoff. (Station 19’s upcoming seventh season will be its last.)
Super Bowl LVIII airs on CBS and Paramount+ Sunday, February 11, at 6:30 p.m. ET.
Grey’s Anatomy season 20 premieres on ABC Thursday, March 14, at 8 p.m. ET.
