Affair Rumors Will Always Haunt Patrick Dempsey

2015 was a nightmare year for "Grey's Anatomy" star Patrick Dempsey, who rose to TV fame in his role as hot doctor Derek Shepherd, also known as McDreamy. At the very start of the year, his wife, makeup artist Jillian Fink, filed for divorce in January. The Hollywood couple had been married since July 1999, so the sudden announcement shocked the public. "It is with careful consideration and mutual respect that we have decided to end our marriage," they told People in a joint statement. 

Despite filing for divorce, Dempsey and Fink decided to attend couples therapy for a year, where they were able to repair their relationship enough to avoid divorce. Dempsey blamed his work-life balance for the near-divorce in 2015, stating that he failed to properly prioritize their marriage and family; the couple had a daughter in 2002 and twin sons in 2007.

However, others were quick to report a more troublesome reason for Jillian's initial divorce filing. In May 2015, inside sources spoke with the tabloids about Dempsey's rumored infidelity on the "Grey's Anatomy" set. It was alleged that he had an affair with a young and unknown staffer on the TV show, which could easily explain why Jillian called for a sudden divorce. "It was obvious to everyone Patrick was sleeping with her," one insider said (via OK! Magazine). "It got very messy and emotional on set and became a huge liability."

After 11 seasons, Dempsey departed the hit medical show in April 2015, amidst the growing affair rumors and reports of supposed toxic behavior on set. Many believe the affair is the real reason why Dempsey left "Grey's Anatomy."

"Grey's Anatomy" has had its fair share of behind-the-scenes drama, with multiple members of the cast and crew often getting caught in the crossfire. That was certainly the case with the scandal surrounding Patrick Dempsey's alleged affair. In fact, the show's lead actor, Ellen Pompeo, who plays Dempsey's onscreen love interest Dr. Meredith Grey, reportedly ended up involved.

"Patrick had an inappropriate relationship with a young woman who worked on the set," one insider told In Touch (via OK! Magazine). "Ellen Pompeo found out and was angry because she's close friends with Jillian, so of course, she told her." Pompeo allegedly divulged the affair to "Grey's Anatomy" creator and executive producer Shonda Rhimes, who, according to the insider, has "no patience for that kind of behavior." Many believe this is why Dempsey's character was killed off the show after 11 successful seasons, forcing his departure in April 2015. 

In a revealing interview from October 2021, another "Grey's Anatomy" costar finally spoke out about the scandal. Isaiah Washington, who played Dr. Preston Burke on the show, claimed that Pompeo received hush money so she would not reveal the ugly behind-the-scenes truth about Dempsey. Washington went on Tavis Smiley's radio show to say that she accepted $5 million to "not tell the world how toxic and nasty Patrick Dempsey really was" on the show's set (via Business Insider). He also went on to call Dempsey "a total tyrant" who was not nice from his first day on set.

Despite the many years that had gone by since the initial 2015 scandals, Dempsey still finds himself being referred to in a negative light. Even in 2026, Dempsey is trying to outrun his problematic McDreamy role over a decade later, telling The New York Times, "I'm getting away from the softness of McDreamy."