Ellen Pompeo doesn’t go easy on her children.
The Grey’s Anatomy star, 55, appeared on the latest episode of Alex Cooper’s Call Her Daddy podcast to talk about everything from the hit Shonda Rhimes’ show celebrating its 20th anniversary to what type of parent she is to her three kids.
When the podcast host, 30, asked her if she is a strict parent and if her children would sneak out of the house, Pompeo responded that she’s “very strict.”
“They are not sneaking out. I will break their fingers,” she told Cooper. “I am very strict. I’m super intense.”
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The Good American Family actress has been married to music producer Chris Ivery since 2007, and together they share three kids: Eli Christopher, 8, Sienna May, 10, and Stella Luna, 15.
During her recent appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live, Pompeo spoke about how the hit medical drama is gaining a new audience in the younger generation as the series celebrates its 20th anniversary. However, Pompeo shared with host Jimmy Kimmel the reason she doesn’t want her 10-year-old daughter to watch the show just yet.
“My 15-year-old has seen it, and now my 10-year-old wants to see it,” she told the late-night host, 57. “She’s not ready, but a lot of kids in her class have seen it.”
“No judgment on other parents. But I don’t want my daughter to see me in my underwear on television just yet,” she continued, before adding, “But all her classmates have so… That makes for great conversation at pick-up.”
After stepping back from her role on Grey’s Anatomy, Pompeo said she is “super happy” and looking forward to spending more time with her children. “I have three kids and so I take care of them, and it’s really important for me to be around for them and be more present for them,” she told Drew Barrymore in December 2022.
Though the actress has been mostly private about her family life, she has opened up about them on occasion. Speaking with PEOPLE in 2016, Pompeo discussed the importance of role models and that she makes a point to expose her daughters to “beautiful, powerful, strong Black women,” whether it’s in magazines or on TV.
“My daughters are Black so it’s very important to me that they see a lot of images of beautiful, powerful, strong Black women,” she told PEOPLE. “Every time there is a Black woman on a magazine cover, whether it is Kerry Washington or whoever it is, I make sure that magazine is in my house and on my table. For me, that’s super important.”
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