Shonda Rhimes says police were stationed outside her home after 'Grey's Anatomy' finales because of upset fans: 'They got mean'

• The Sunday Times in London published an interview with Shonda Rhimes.
• Rhimes, 54, said she had police outside her home after each "Grey's Anatomy" season finale.
• Upset fans also forced Rhimes to hire security at her Los Angeles home.

Shonda Rhimes said she had a police presence outside her home after each "Grey's Anatomy" season finale to ward off disgruntled fans.

Rhimes, 54, reminisced about her time as "Grey Anatomy's" showrunner in an interview with The Sunday Times in London.

The ABC medical drama debuted in March 2005 and quickly became a beloved pop culture phenomenon. The series bolstered the careers of several A-list stars — including Ellen Pompeo and Sandra Oh — while building a dedicated fan base eager for new installments.

Season 20 of "Grey's Anatomy" kicked off in March, but Rhimes stepped back from writing episodes for the series in 2015. Although Rhimes remains an executive producer on "Grey's Anatomy," she shocked fans and industry leaders in 2017 when she left ABC — the network that produced several of her projects — for Netflix.

Rhimes inked the deal for a base salary of about $150 million, according to The New York Times. Her contract with Netflix was a jump from ABC, where she had a $10 million base salary. The switch-up rocked the entertainment industry, which viewed Rhimes as a lightning rod for successful and profitable content.

Business Insider reported in 2017 that the shift was another sign that streaming could overtake traditional broadcast television.

In the Sunday Times interview, Rhimes said the furor around "Grey's Anatomy" became so overwhelming that some fans sent death threats when they disagreed with how a season ended. As a result, Rhimes had a police car stationed outside her home for a week following each season finale.

"They got mean," Rhimes said. "And you never knew who was going to really take offense in the wrong way."

Rhimes also told the outlet she had to hire 24-hour security for her Los Angeles home.

"It was because people are dangerous and strange," Rhimes added.

The outlet noted that when Rhimes burst onto the scene, she often discussed how much she enjoyed interacting with fans online. Rhimes said part of the reasons she's stepped back from said interactions was due to fan behavior.

"Social media changed. Fans have passionate feelings, and I was always fine with that. I understand that the characters felt like their friends. They were my imaginary friends, too. That's why I was writing them. And I think people just had very strong feelings about what happened with their friends," she said. "But then it became weird."

These days, Rhimes is focused on other popular series, including "Bridgerton," which debuted in 2020. Like "Grey's Anatomy," "Bridgerton" became an instant fan-favorite in 2020 and earned a spinoff series called "Queen Charlotte" in May 2023.

Season 3 of "Bridgerton" premieres in May.