Former Grey’s Anatomy scribe and co-executive producer Elisabeth Finch is copping to having “lied about so much” on the same day that a docuseries about her Hollywood rise and fall is dropping on Peacock.
In a statement posted to Instagram on Tuesday afternoon, Finch apologized for what she described as multiple falsehoods that affected friends, family and others close to her. Admitting that she had “given no one any reason to believe a word I say,” Finch said, “‘I’m sorry’ feels like the smallest words compared to what I’ve done, yet they are the truest. I trapped myself in the addiction of lies, betraying and traumatizing my closest friends, family and colleagues.”
The writer, whose compelling backstory as an alleged survivor of bone cancer inspired a storyline on the ABC medical procedural but was later thrown into doubt, added, “I’m making amends and expressing my genuine remorse as best I can when people are ready.”
Finch’s statement arrives the same day that the three-part docuseries Anatomy of Lies, investigating her claims and history in the entertainment business, drops on Peacock. The project, co-directed by Evgenia Peretz and David Schisgall, focuses on the harrowing medical tales that Finch spun during her entertainment career, including that she suffered from the rare form of bone cancer chondrosarcoma, lost a kidney and underwent an abortion. (The writer also wrote about some of her alleged struggles in publications including Elle, Shondaland and The Hollywood Reporter.) But eyebrows were raised in March 2022, when Disney placed Finch on administrative leave as it launched an investigation into her claims. By the end of the month, the writer took a leave of absence from the show and later that year, she admitted to never having any form of cancer.
Finch’s ex-wife Jennifer Beyer, former Grey’s Anatomy writers Kiley Donovan and Andy Reaser and former USC classmate and writer Matt Graham all participated in the Peacock docuseries. The series expands on a two-part investigation about Finch, written by Peretz, that originally appeared in Vanity Fair.
In her Instagram post, Finch promises to “continue to repair whatever damage I can and ensure I am not the worst things I’ve done.” Read her full statement below.