The ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ showrunner reveals the real reason why she decided to ditch ABC for Netflix in 2017 after more than a decade of working with the Alphabet.
- Oct 24, 2020
AceShowbiz – Shonda Rhimes left ABC for a multi-million dollar Netflix production deal in 2017 after an alleged run-in with a TV executive over Disneyland passes.
Rhimes earned over $2 billion for ABC’s parent company Disney after creating shows including “Scandal“, “Grey’s Anatomy“, and “How to Get Away With Murder” and, after 15 years of really hard work, she was struggling with exhaustion.
“I felt like I was dying,” she tells The Hollywood reporter. “Like I’d been pushing the same ball up the same hill in the exact same way for a really long time.”
Things came to a head when Rhimes approached executives at the company about obtaining an extra Disneyland pass, worth $154 (£117), for her nanny, because the producer, who’s a single mum of three kids, was issued only one all-inclusive, non-transferable pass, as part of her contract.
She was able to negotiate one extra pass but, when the day came for the family trip, Rhimes needed a third for her sister, who stepped in to take her place when a last-minute work situation meant she had to miss the fun day out.
According to the publication, Rhimes was given the third pass but her request was met with resistance from the high-ranking network executive, who allegedly told her, “Don’t you have enough?” when she called the person to see what the problem was.
Following the encounter, she immediately called her lawyers and told them to “figure out a way” for her to transfer her entire operation to Netflix. In August 2017, Rhimes announced the move, with her production deal reportedly in the nine-figure range, making her the highest-paid showrunner in TV.
Source: Television - aceshowbiz.com
