Nolte: 'Grey's Anatomy' Writer Accused of Faking Medical Experiences Used as Show's Storylines

One of the top screenwriters at Grey’s Anatomy is under investigation for allegedly faking her personal medical traumas.

After working at shows like Vampire Diaries and True Blood, 44-year-old Elisabeth Finch joined Grey’s Anatomy in 2014. Over the ensuing years, she became one of the long-running show’s high-profile writers, thanks primarily to her claim of having lived through one harrowing medical trauma after another.

Finch claimed to have suffered from bone cancer and said the chemotherapy forced her to have an abortion. Additionally, she maintained that she lost a kidney, also lost part of a leg, and had an unnecessary knee replacement surgery due to a misdiagnosis.

On top of all that, she said a Vampire Diaries director sexually and verbally abused her.

These claims won her a ton of personal attention and likely helped her land the job at Grey’s Anatomy, where she could bring her real-life experiences to a medium hungry for ideas. What’s more, in publications such as Elle and the Hollywood Reporter, she detailed her medical traumas and wrote about how they inspired plotlines on Grey’s Anatomy.

Well, according to the Ankler — the outlet that broke the story, it all came crashing down after Finch said she had to deal with a family emergency and dashed out of the writer’s room. Then, after concerned colleagues called Finch’s spouse, Jennifer Beyer, Beyer allegedly ratted Finch out. Apparently, the two of them are going through a bitter divorce.

Since then, Beyer has met with the show’s producers and Disney executives, and Finch has been placed on “administrative leave” pending the outcome of an investigation.

In a statement, Finch’s attorney told the media: “Ms. Finch is not going to discuss her private health matters. Likewise, she will not speak about her pending divorce from her estranged wife, Jennifer Beyer, or comment on any statements that Ms. Beyer may have made to third parties about Ms. Finch.”

And that doesn’t sound like a denial to me.

Some of her colleagues are shocked. One told the Hollywood Reporter, “You believe this poor woman was going through this awful thing, and you want to support her.”

But another told the Ankler that people were suspicious: “There was so much craziness in her life, and she was so cryptic and private, and it was always like, what is the story here?” The coworker continued, “It often felt like a carrot-dangle, but I just thought we were dealing with someone who was wildly insecure but not some sort of mastermind.”

We’ll probably never know the truth. If Finch is the victim of a disgruntled spouse, this is grossly unfair to her. If Finch did fabricate all or part of her medical history, it sounds like she intends to hide behind her medical records, which is her right. However, if I were falsely accused, I would demand a judge, and one judge only, be allowed to verify my medical records.

Assuming the worst, and let’s be clear that we don’t know the truth, but if someone were to do something like this, fake this kind of trauma, it really is yet one more example of how twisted our society has become with awarding people victim points. If you’re a victim, you suddenly have social cache you’ve not earned. If you’re a victim, you are automatically awarded a professional and moral advantage over people who might be more talented or experienced than you. It’s pure nonsense.

If Finch lied, who lost the opportunity to write for a hit show due to that lie?

But if Finch didn’t lie, and she deserves the benefit of the doubt, my heart breaks for her. What an awful thing to be accused of.

Follow John Nolte on Twitter @NolteNC. Follow his Facebook Page here.

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