Former Grey's Anatomy writer Elisabeth Finch has been in hot water since it was revealed that she had been lying about her health for a long time, including saying she had cancer. Finch authored 13 episodes of the renowned medical drama, including Silent All These Years, which tackled the weighty subject of sexual assault and demonstrated her ability to incorporate intimate and powerful stories into the series's structure.
What episodes did Elizabeth Finch write for Grey's Anatomy?
Here's a list of all episodes written by Elizabeth Finch throughout the runtime of Grey's Anatomy:
- Season 11, Episode 17 'With or Without You' (2015)
- Season 12, Episode 10 'All I Want is You' (2016)
- Season 13, Episode 16 'Who is He (and What is He to You)'? (2017)
- Season 13, Episode 22 'Leave it Inside' (2017)
- Season 14, Episode 11 'Don't Fear the Reaper' (2018)
- Season 14, Episode 17 'One Day Like This' (2018)
- Season 15, Episode 7 'Anybody have a Map?' (2018)
- Season 15, Episode 11 'The Winner Takes It All' (2019)
- Season 15, Episode 19 'Silent All These Years' (2019)
- Season 16, Episode 5 'Breathe Again' (2019)
- Season 16, Episode 16 'Leave a Light On' (2020)
- Season 17, Episode 7 'Helplessly Hoping' (2021)
In Season 15, Grey's Anatomy introduced the storyline of Catherine Fox being diagnosed with chondrosarcoma, a plot element that was directly influenced by Elisabeth Finch and her struggles with treatment. The episode was titled The Winner Takes It All. Finch expressed her desire for the character's diagnosis to reflect her personal experiences. In an essay for Elle, Finch wrote,
“I wanted Catherine to be diagnosed with a spinal tumor similar to mine. Only this time, the doctors would tell her the truth. Because she, like the rest of the world, shouldn’t have it any other way.”
However, a 2022 Vanity Fair exposé brought to light Finch's dishonesty, showing that her claims of having chondrosarcoma, a rare bone cancer, and undergoing treatments, like kidney removal and a potentially fatal abortion, were completely false and fabricated.
Additionally, she reportedly made up stories about her personal life, including one in which she claimed to have helped in the wake of the 2018 Tree of Life synagogue shooting in Pittsburgh.
As the controversy developed, it became clear that Elizabeth Finch had not only fabricated a traumatizing facade that impacted her relationships, especially with her ex-wife Jennifer Beyer, but had also deceived her coworkers. Her departure from Grey's Anatomy which resulted from the deception, also prompted a more thorough examination of her lies and life.
A docuseries into Elizabeth Finch's deceit and lies
Anatomy of Lies, a three-part documentary series that debuted on Peacock on October 15, 2024, is currently examining Finch's startling story. The premise of the series is to examine Elizabeth Finch's deceptive storytelling and how it affected others in her immediate vicinity. It tells a sobering story about the depths of personal suffering and the fallout from lying in the volatile realm of Hollywood narratives.
Here's a trailer for the docuseries as shared by Peacock Network on their Instagram account:
Since the release of the docuseries, Elizabeth Finch has taken to her Instagram account to post how deeply sorry she is for all the lies that she spun and for the people she hurt. She wrote:
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Her actions shocked one and all in the business as well as the fans. Somewhere in her writing journey, she seemed to have blurred the lines between spinning a yarn for the screen and manipulating her own reality.
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