Where IsGrey’s AnatomyWriter Elisabeth Finch Now? Revisiting Her Shocking Cancer Hoax — and Where Her Career Stands Today

Mar. 15, 2025

Elisabeth Finch acting in an episode of ‘Grey’s Anatomy.’ ; Elisabeth Finch speaking at an event in 2019.Photo:Disney General Entertainment/Getty Images; Todd Wawrychuk/Disney General Entertainment/Getty Images

Disney General Entertainment/Getty Images; Todd Wawrychuk/Disney General Entertainment/Getty Images

Elisabeth Finchis back in the spotlight with Peacock’s docuseries about her fall from grace,Anatomy of Lies, which premiered on Oct. 15.

Later that same year, Finch opened up toThe Anklerin her only post-scandal interview to date. In the interview, she admitted to lying about several details, including her cancer diagnosis. “What I did was wrong,” she said. “Not okay. F—– up. All the words.”

Here’s everything to know about where Elisabeth Finch is now — and what she has said since her lies were exposed.

Who is Elisabeth Finch?

Elisabeth Finch speaks at an event for Walt Disney Television in 2019.Todd Wawrychuk/Disney General Entertainment/Getty Images

Todd Wawrychuk/Disney General Entertainment/Getty Images

Finch is a former television writer and producer known for her work onGrey’s Anatomy.

Born in March 1978, Finch grew up in Cherry Hill, N.J., with her parents and older brother, Eric.

After graduating fromCarnegie Mellon Universitywith a degree in creative writing, she attended film school at the University of Southern California before landing her first job in Hollywood as an assistant,Vanity Fairreported. This opportunity led to an even bigger break as a junior writer on the HBO series,True Blood.

In 2012, Finch’s career hit another high with a two-year writing stint onThe Vampire Diaries.That same year, she began telling family members, friends and colleagues that she had been diagnosed with chondrosarcoma, a rare form of bone cancer, and had to undergo chemotherapy immediately. Eventually, she penned a since-deleted essay forElleabout her cancer experience.

“I wanted Catherine to be diagnosed with a spinal tumor similar to mine, only this time, the doctors would tell her the truth,” she wrote in a now-deletedessay forElle.“Because she, like the rest of the world, shouldn’t have it any other way.”

Finch continued to work onGrey’s Anatomyuntil 2022. During her eight years on the show, she wrote 13 episodes and produced 172.

Why did Elisabeth Finch leaveGrey’s Anatomy?

Elisabeth Finch on the far right wearing blue scrubs while acting in an episode of ‘Grey’s Anatomy.'.Mitch Haaseth/Disney General Entertainment/Getty Images

Mitch Haaseth/Disney General Entertainment/Getty Images

A rep for Shondaland confirmed her temporary leave of duties pending investigation, telling PEOPLE, “Only Elisabeth can speak to her personal story.”

Less than two weeks after The Anklerstory came out, Finch announced that she was taking a voluntary leave of absence.

“I will always remain one ofGrey’s Anatomy’s biggest fans. I loved the show from day one and had the honor to write for it since season 11,” Finch said in a statement sent todifferent outlets, includingThe Hollywood Reporter.

She continued, “Grey’s Anatomyis one big-hearted, brilliant family. As hard as it is to take some time away right now, I know it is more important that I focus on my own family and my health. I’m immensely grateful to Disney, ABC, and Shondaland for allowing me to do so and for supporting me through this very difficult time.”

What did Elisabeth Finch lie about?

Elisabeth Finch stands in blue scrubs and speaks to co-executive producer Linda Klein while on the set of ‘Grey’s Anatomy.'.Mitch Haaseth/Disney General Entertainment/Getty Images

One of the biggest bombshellsto come out was that Finch lied about her spinal tumor and subsequent chondrosarcoma diagnosis.

“I’ve never had any form of cancer,” she admitted to The Ankler.“I told a lie when I was 34 years old and it was the biggest mistake of my life. It just got bigger and bigger and bigger and got buried deeper and deeper inside me.”

But the lies didn’t end there: Finch claimed that she became pregnant while undergoing chemotherapy and had to make the harrowing decision to have a life-saving abortion. She also said part of her tibia had to be removed because of her cancer. In addition, her chemotherapy also caused her to lose a kidney and require a transplant.

According toVanity Fair,Finch told those around her thatAnna Paquin, whom she had become close with during her time onTrue Blood,had generously donated one of her kidneys to Finch. For her part, Finch denied starting that particular rumor, telling The Anklerthat she didn’t know where it came from.

Finch also lied about more than her medical history. After the October 2018terrorist attack on the Tree of Life Synagoguein Pittsburgh, Finch told colleagues that a close friend was one of the 11 people killed in the shooting.

Eventually, Finch mentioned others in her stories. In 2019, she told colleagues that her older brother, Eric, had committed suicide. Even more troubling, she claimed that Eric, who she alleged was physically and emotionally abusive to her during their childhood, actually shot himself in a non-fatal way, forcing her to make the traumatic decision to pull the plug.

In reality, Eric, a doctor living in Florida, is still alive, The Anklerconfirmed. (Finch maintains that the allegations of his abuse are all true.) Eric did not return PEOPLE’s request for comment.

How were Elisabeth Finch’s lies discovered?

Elisabeth Finch in the grey hoodie speaks to Debbie Allen and Kevin McKidd while working on a episode of ‘Grey’s Anatomy.'.Richard Cartwright/Disney General Entertainment/Getty Images

Richard Cartwright/Disney General Entertainment/Getty Images

In the spring of 2019, Finch claimed to be suffering from PTSD in the aftermath of the Tree of Life tragedy.

After taking time off work, she checked herself into a mental health clinic in Arizona under the name Jo. (According toVanity Fair,Jo was also the first name of aGrey’s Anatomycharacter that Finch was developing a storyline for with similarities to herself.)

There, Finch met Jennifer Beyer, a registered nurse and mother-of-five from Kansas who was leaving an abusive marriage and grappling with PTSD. The two developed a close friendship and fell in love.

They married in February 2020 and began looking for a place in Los Angeles to call home. However, it didn’t take long before Beyer began to suspect that some of Finch’s stories were untrue, something she confirmed with a bit of social media sleuthing.

In February 2022, two years after exchanging wedding vows, Beyer reached out to Rhimes andGrey’s Anatomyshowrunner,Krista Vernoff, to tell them about Finch’s lies. By then, the couple, who split in November 2019, was in the process of a divorce.

Still, executives at Shondaland and Disney reached out to Beyer and started looking into her claims, ultimately discovering that the star writer was, indeed, lying about a number of things, including having cancer.

Where is Elisabeth Finch now?

Elisabeth Finch dressed in blue scrubs while filming an episode of ‘Grey’s Anatomy.'.Mitch Haaseth/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty

Mitch Haaseth/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty

“I know it’s absolutely wrong what I did,” she said. “I lied and there’s no excuse for it. But there’s context for it.”

“The best way I can explain it is when you experience a level of trauma a lot of people adopt a maladaptive coping mechanism,” she added. “Some people cut. I lied. That was my coping and my way to feel safe and seen and heard.”

According to Finch, she suffered a hiking injury in 2007, which required knee replacement surgery. She recalled her loved ones being “so supportive” leading up to the different procedures she had to undergo — until it became “dead quiet.”

“I had no support and went back to my old maladaptive coping mechanism — I lied and made something up because I needed support and attention and that’s the way I went after it," Finch explained to the outlet. “That’s where that lie started — in that silence.”

Speaking about the impact of the initial exposé, Finch shared that along with her job, she lost friends and many family members disowned her. “It’s been a very quiet, very sad time,” she said. “I really miss it. I miss my fellow writers. It’s like a family.”

Although she hasn’t returned to television writing, she remained optimistic about rebuilding her old career. “I could only hope that the work that I’ve done will allow me back into those relationships,” she said.

During her December 2022 interview, Finch was living a quiet life in Topanga Canyon, Calif. While she declined to participate inAnatomy of Lies, Finch posted a statementon her Instagramon Oct. 15.

“The truth is, there is no excuse, no justification—nothing will ever make my lies to anyone okay,” she wrote in part. “Nothing erases the trauma I caused—the fear, the pain, the anger, the tears, the time. And nothing matters more to me than holding myself accountable in every way.”

Finch added, “I will continue to repair whatever damage I can and ensure I am not the worst things I’ve done. I recognize all of this will take time for people to believe. I will work and wait as long as it takes.”

source: people.com