'Room full of old men' said no one would watch' 'Grey's Anatomy', Shonda Rhimes says

The first episode memorably begins with Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo) and Derek Shepherd (Patrick Dempsey) waking up in her living room. Photo: Handout

Grey's Anatomy co-creator Shonda Rhimes said that she got pushback from "a room full of old men" who doubted the success of her hit medical drama after first reading the pilot in the early 2000s.

Rhimes, who is also the small-screen mastermind behind Scandal, How to Get Away With Murder and Bridgerton recalled the exchange on an episode of podcast 9 To 5ish With theSkimm, which she appeared on with her creative partner and fellow rookie showrunner, Betsy Beers.