Taylor Swift wrote Ellen Pompeo “the biggest check without blinking an eye”. The ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ star appeared in the 35-year-old pop star’s 2014 ‘Bad Blood’ music video, and after just 20 minutes the 55-year-old actress - who had been volunteering with her husband Chris Ivery at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles - asked her if she’d donate to the cause.
She told ‘The Jennifer Hudson Show’: “So, I just got up the chutzpah and asked Taylor, ‘Could you write me a big, old check for Children’s?’ And she knew me all but 20 minutes and that girl wrote me the biggest check without blinking an eye.”
Pompeo praised the hospital for its “amazing” work supporting “babies in the NICU” whose parents have to work during the day.
She said: “They have an amazing program at Children’s where they make music for the babies in the NICU and for the parents who have to go to work all day and they can’t be with the kids.”
“They record their voices singing nursery rhymes or telling them stories and play it for the babies in the day when the parents can’t be there.”
As well as getting a big paycheck for a worthy cause, Ellen - who has children Stella, 15, Sienna, 10, and Eli, eight, with Chris - also earned herself some cool points with her kids. “That got me so much mileage with both of the girls for a stretch.”
She said, “Taylor is such a good girl. I didn’t know her, and she invited me to be in the video, and I thought, ‘Oh, that would be fun.’ I do get a lot of points for that. I went and did the video. It was the easiest thing, like an hour or two.”
It’s not the first time Taylor has dug deep for a good cause. Back in January, she revealed on Instagram that she had donated to several relief causes during the Los Angeles wildfire and urged her followers to do the same if they could.
Then, in October last year, she donated $5 million to relief efforts in Florida after those affected by Hurricane Helene were preparing for Hurricane Milton.
Non-profit organisation Feeding America wrote on X: “We are incredibly grateful to Taylor Swift for her generous $5 million donation to Hurricane Helene and Milton efforts.
“This contribution will help communities rebuild and recover, providing essential food, clean water and supplies to people affected by these devastating storms.”