From cancer to the deaths of her loved ones, being a sexual assault victim, and more, "Grey's Anatomy" writer Elisabeth Finch lied about her past experiences for years and was forced to tell the truth after her ex-wife came forward.
With over fifteen years on air, "Grey's Anatomy" has become a beloved TV series for its heartthrob fictional doctors like McDreamy, played by Patrick Dempsey, and its plot twists season after season. However, its behind-the-scenes drama has piqued the interest of fans as well.
"Grey's Anatomy" was swarmed with racial drama before it even premiered, and in its first season on the air, a leading actor was accused of using homophobic slurs. But the scandal that took the cake was Finch being caught red-handed lying about having a rare form of cancer.
Elisabeth Finch Claimed She Wrote Her Own Cancer Story into "Grey's Anatomy"
Before her work on "Grey's Anatomy," Finch was a creative force in several impressive films and TV shows. Her earliest project dates back to 2006 when she was a writer for the film "Looking for My Brother."
In the following years, she wrote on "True Blood," "Vampire Diaries," and "No Ordinary Family." Her involvement in the film industry also includes producing.
Finch was a writer's assistant for two years on "True Blood" for 22 episodes. She was also part of the additional crew on "Vampire Diaries" as an executive story editor for five episodes.
However, in 2014, a development executive at Shonda Rhimes' production company, Shondaland, showed the at-the-time showrunner an essay Finch wrote about living with cancer.
Finch was still working on the "Vampire Diaries" set when she wrote the essay in February 2014. She described her daily struggles with chondrosarcoma, a rare and usually fatal form of bone cancer, and detailed how she lost weight, her hair, and her determination to beat cancer after undergoing chemo.
"Grey's Anatomy" was in its tenth season when Finch joined the team and has since produced over 170 episodes at the time of writing. Finch said:
"I will always remain one of 'Grey's Anatomy's' biggest fans. I loved the show from day one and had the honor to write for it since season 11."
She became somewhat of a cancer expert and was allegedly offered all the time she needed for her clinical trial treatments. She wrote that she reportedly also suffered an abortion, the death of her brother, a kidney transplant, and a close friend's death during a Pittsburgh massacre.
One of the thirteen episodes Finch wrote was titled "Anybody Have a Map?" and was viewed by millions of "Grey's Anatomy" fans. The episode was based on Finch's claim about having the rare form of cancer and saw a star character in "Grey's Anatomy" suffer from the illness as well.
In Spring 2022, Elisabeth Finch's Web of Lies Was Unraveled by Several Media Outlets
In February 2022, Finch's estranged wife, Jennifer Beyer, a single mother of five and a nurse, sent Rhimes an email, called Disney, and revealed that Finch was lying about her medical history, among other things.
Beyer and Finch met in 2019, and after spending time in a treatment facility in Kansas, they grew close and married the following year. In a turn of events, it was revealed that Finch stole some of Beyer's past experiences and passed them off as her own.
Although she told friends and family about her diagnosis, they never entered the hospital where she received treatment. A fellow "Grey's Anatomy" writer also shared that Finch was awarded certain privileges, like hogging the writers' room to share her ideas. The writer further added:
"We all tolerated it because we thought she might be dying. These might be her final words."
Elisabeth Finch Finally Admitted Lying about Her Cancer and Brother's Suicide
On December 7, 2022, The Ankler released an interview with Finch, where she confessed all her lies. According to her ex, Finch said she had cancer but recovered after seeking treatment. However, Finch set the record straight and revealed she never had cancer.
Finch said she was 34 when she began spreading her lies, and before Finch knew it, they grew in a web she could no longer control. She said:
"I know it's absolutely wrong what I did. I lied, and there's no excuse for what I did. 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."
After lying about the death of her close friend, she took leave from work and lied about returning to Pittsburgh to help arrange for his funeral. She also lied about her brother's death. She left a note on her desk saying her brother was in a coma but did not pull through.
Finch's brother is very much alive but declined to comment. Finch lied about being sexually assaulted as well, after which she wrote a "Grey's Anatomy" episode about a rape victim, which received a lot of publicity.
It all started in 2007 when she injured herself and required knee surgery. Those close to her were present and supportive for a while, but after she recovered, it was "dead quiet." So Finch began lying for attention – to feel heard and seen.
After publishing her essays based on fabrications on two significant websites, The Hollywood Reporter has since deleted both of the pieces Finch wrote. Before an investigation could be launched, Finch resigned from her position in Shonda Rhimes' show and checked herself into a treatment facility in Arizona.
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