‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Writer Who Faked Having Cancer, Elisabeth Finch, Sparks Controversy With Efforts To Fundraise Off L.A. Fires

by Baila Eve ZismanJanuary 18, 2025, 3:00 pmNews >

Former Grey’s Anatomy writer Elisabeth Finch, who went viral a few years ago for faking a cancer diagnosis, has attracted the public’s attention again with her recent efforts to aid victims of the Los Angeles wildfires.

Last Tuesday, wildfires erupted across Southern California, destroying over 12,000 structures, forcing over 100,000 people to evacuate and killing at least 27 people, with 28 more presently missing.

Many celebrities and public figures – and Hollywood’s top studios, streamers and companies – have given multi-million dollar donations to support relief efforts and personal GoFundMe accounts, including Taylor Swift, Eva Longoria and Leonardo DiCaprio.

However, when Finch announced that she was collecting funds for victims, her philanthropic intentions were met with skepticism. In a post to Facebook, she wrote, “This is just me, boots on the ground. It was challenging getting dog food while evacuated, and I was at a safe place. So this is for people who have virtually nothing and have pets with basic needs.”

To “avoid GoFundMe fees,” Finch requested people send their donations directly to her Venmo.

Co-executive producer of Grey’s Anatomy Jamie Denbo reposted Finch’s post on Facebook, overlayed with the statement “DO NOT DONATE.” In the caption, she blasted Finch for her supposedly insincere efforts, writing, “This person is a SCAMMER and a LIAR.”

Denbo continued, “It is well documented in the @peacock series #anatomyoflies! Unless you want to send her donations of 69 cents for her “cancer treatment” (she doesn’t have cancer) or perhaps “in memory of her late brother”(he’s alive) or anything else she has lied about (everything) DO NOT DONATE to Elisabeth Finch!!”

Finch claimed to The Hollywood Reporter that she had only the best intentions in posting about the wildfires. She said, “I recognize, given my history, people might be skeptical of my fundraising efforts…I’m trying to make amends in as many ways as I can, including helping my community – especially during these difficult times, so many organizations are calling for gift cards because they are overwhelmed with physical donations, and I didn’t want peoples’ pet needs to get lost in the shuffle.”

Finch started working on Grey’s Anatomy in 2015, giving those who hired her the impression she had cancer and would contribute a personal medical perspective to the writer’s room. To sell the lie, she shaved her head and would regularly leave work for supposed medical purposes. She was put on administrative leave in March 2022 when her claims were closer examined and suspected to be false. In December 2022, she admitted to having lied about the illness.

In October, the Peacock documentary Anatomy of Lies was released, detailing the event and featuring an official apology from Finch.

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