It’s been a big year for Donald Trump and Ellen Pompeo. Trump has kept a revolving door on the White House, hiring and firing staffers at a clip that keeps our heads spinning, while Ellen Pompeo of Grey’s Anatomy fame landed a co-executive producer credit on the Grey’s spinoff Station 19. So big news all around. But when Trump fired Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and nominated in his place CIA director Mike Pompeo (a decision that’s been approved by the Senate), people had questions, not least of which was: Wait, is Mike Pompeo related to Ellen Pompeo?
Laugh if you want, but it’s a fair question. Washington and Hollywood both have more than their fair share of nepotism infused in their hiring practices, and we can’t blame people for assuming Trump would hire someone else famous for being on TV. After all, Omarosa of The Apprentice fame was a White House aide until recently.
So, is Mike Pompeo related to Ellen Pompeo?
First of all, you’re not the only one asking. Twitter has picked up the question pretty heavily, and many people are turning to Google to solve the mystery once and for all. But let us do the hard work for you and break it down.
From the searching we were able to do, it doesn’t appear that the two are related. The two grew are from opposite sides of the country: Ellen from Massachusetts and Mike from California. Although based on their age and last name it’s certainly not impossible that they’re distant cousins, especially since — as Hello Giggles pointed out — Pompeo isn’t all that common of a last name. In fact, according to MyNameStats.com, the last name is “the 34210th most popular family name in the United States.” (Read: Not popular at all.)
Siri, is new Secretary Of State Mike Pompeo related to “Grey’s Anatomy” star Ellen Pompeo?
— Matt Drufke (@IHateMattDrufke) March 13, 2018
If a family tie does exist, even a weak one, it seems like we’re going to have to wait for one of them to weigh in about it. Until then, just enjoy the Grey’s memes about Meredith taking over as Secretary of State.
