Elisabeth R. Finch(born March 1978)[1]is an Americantelevision writerbest known for her work on the seriesTrue BloodandGrey's Anatomy.
Finch gained public notoriety for her abrupt resignation fromGrey's Anatomy,which was prompted by an investigation into a series of lies that she told about her personal and medical history.[2]
Career
editFinch began her career by writing ashort filmentitledLooking for My Brother,released in 2006.[3]She was then hired as awriters' assistantonTrue Bloodin 2008. She worked onTrue Blooduntil 2010 and was credited as awriters' assistanton 17 episodes, as an assistant to writers on five episodes, and as a writer on three episodes.[4]
She wrote two episodes for the first and only season ofNo Ordinary Family,which aired on ABC from 2010 to 2011. In 2012 she began working onThe Vampire Diariesand was credited as a story writer on six episodes, story editor on two episodes, and executive story editor on 15 episodes.[4]Coworkers reportedly gave her the nickname "Vampire Girl" as a joke referencing the niche she had established working onTrue BloodandThe Vampire Diariesduring her early career.[5]
In 2015, Finch began working onGrey's Anatomyas a writer and producer. She wrote 13 episodes and produced a total of 172 episodes before her departure from the series.[4]Finch was also a guest actor in theGrey's Anatomyseason 15episode "Silent All These Years", in which she played the role of Nurse Elisabeth.[4]Finch was offered a position in the writer's room atGrey's Anatomyfollowing the publication of a piece that she had written forEllein 2014 about her diagnosis withchondrosarcomaand her experience working as a television writer while undergoing cancer treatments.[5]It has been reported that the chondrosarcoma diagnosis and subsequentstory arcof the character Dr. Catherine Avery, played byDebbie Allen,was inspired by Finch's supposed medical history.[5]
Controversy
editThroughout her time working in the writers' room atGrey's Anatomy,Finch wrote a series of essays about her personal medical struggles in publications includingElle,The Hollywood Reporter,andShondaland.[6]In these articles, she shared stories about her purported diagnosis withchondrosarcoma(a rarebone cancer), having anabortionwhile undergoingchemotherapy,losing a kidney, and undergoing aknee replacementdue tomisdiagnosis.[6]Finch's medical history was never verified by any of the publications and she confessed to her then-wife Jennifer Beyer that none of these stories were true when Beyer confronted her over some inconsistencies.[7]
Finch had altered her appearance to appear sick while working onGrey's Anatomyand used stories about her medical diagnoses to gain accommodations at work, including deadline extensions and periods of absence.[5]Finch also reportedly made allegations that her brother abused her as a child, that he died by suicide, and that she cleaned up the remains of a friend who was killed in theTree of Life synagogue mass shooting.[5]
In March 2022, it was reported thatDisney,a Shondaland affiliate at the time, had opened an investigation into Finch's falsehoods.[8]The investigation was prompted when Beyer contacted Disney and Shondaland with information that she had uncovered about Finch's past.[9]During Disney's investigation, Finch refused to provide medical documentation or undergo an independent medical evaluation to substantiate her claims, and she was subsequently placed on administrative leave on March 17, 2022.[2]Finch formally resigned shortly after and the investigation ended.[10]
In December 2022, Finch released a formal statement confessing that she never had cancer.[11][9]Finch also admitted that her brother had not died by suicide and is currently living inFlorida.[11]
In October 2024,PeacockreleasedAnatomy of Lies,a three-part docuseries about Finch's career and controversy.[12][13]
References
edit- ^Mannion, Katie (October 16, 2024)."Where Is Grey's Anatomy Writer Elisabeth Finch Now? Revisiting Her Shocking Cancer Hoax — and Where Her Career Stands Today".People.
- ^abGoldberg, Lesley (April 1, 2022)."Embattled 'Grey's Anatomy' Writer Takes Leave of Absence From ABC Medical Drama".The Hollywood Reporter.RetrievedDecember 9,2022.
- ^"Looking for My Brother (2006)".IMDb.RetrievedSeptember 3,2010.
- ^abcd"Elisabeth Finch".IMDb.RetrievedSeptember 3,2010.
- ^abcdePeretz, Evgenia (May 2, 2022)."Scene Stealer: The True Lies of Elisabeth Finch, Part 1".Vanity Fair.RetrievedJuly 6,2022.
- ^abAlter, Rebecca (March 31, 2022)."Grey's Anatomy Writer Takes Leave After Possibly Lying About Medical History".Vulture.RetrievedDecember 9,2022.
- ^Peretz, Evgenia (May 3, 2022)."Scene Stealer: The True Lies of Elisabeth Finch, Part 2".Vanity Fair.RetrievedMay 7,2022.
- ^Min, Janice (March 17, 2022)."SHOCKER: Disney Investigating 'Grey's Anatomy' Writer".theankler.RetrievedDecember 9,2022.
- ^abKiefer, Peter (December 7, 2022)."The 'Grey's Anatomy' Liar Confesses it All".theankler.RetrievedDecember 9,2022.
- ^Wang, Jessica (December 7, 2022)."Ousted 'Grey's Anatomy' writer Elisabeth Finch admits to lies about medical, personal history".EW.RetrievedDecember 9,2022.
- ^abFrance, Lisa Respers (December 8, 2022)."Former 'Grey's Anatomy' writer admits she lied about having cancer".CNN.RetrievedDecember 9,2022.
- ^Kilkenny, Katie (September 17, 2024).""For Years She Fooled Hollywood": Peacock Reveals Docuseries Based on 'Grey's Anatomy' Writer Case ".The Hollywood Reporter.RetrievedSeptember 23,2024.
- ^Chaney, Jen (October 16, 2024)."Anatomy of LiesDissects Elisabeth Finch'sGrey'sFabrications ".Vulture.RetrievedJanuary 17,2025.