‘This was like performance art’: Wowza, the ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ writer who faked having cancer went to dreadful extremes that might even impress Anna Delvey

Grey’s Anatomy has remained so culturally significant because of its dramatic storytelling. One writer for the series, however, took things too far.

As featured in Peacock’s new captivating documentary series, Anatomy of Lies, former Grey’s Anatomy writer Elisabeth Finch went to extreme lengths to create opportunities for herself. In 2022, news came out that she had lied about a cancer diagnosis. This lie was one of many Finch had told over the years, including how her brother died by suicide and knowing someone in the Tree of Life massacre. Anatomy of Lies details how Finch got away with such outrageous lies for so long and the great lengths to which she went to maintain her cover. In a first look at the documentary, consulting producer for Grey’s Anatomy, Andy Reaser, expressed his bafflement at Finch’s efforts.

“This was like performance art. She was showing up to work with a shaved head and a, you know, a greenish hue. She looked like she lived in a microwave. She was eating these Saltines and drinking ginger ale and going to the bathroom to take puke breaks from her chemo.”

The main question remaining in this dramatic saga is this: was it even worth it? The stakes seemed incredibly low, at least in the grand scheme of previous con artists in pop culture. One of the most famous is Anna Delvey, who scammed millions out of Manahttan’s elite for her own financial benefit. Finch, on the other hand, did not seem as ambitious. From what sources have gathered, Finch’s main desire was to rise in the ranks of the writer’s room. To do this, she went above and beyond, but not for the work she was actually paid for.

“It seems so much harder to me than just doing your job well,” Reaser said in amazement in the documentary. From committing these lies and looking into the medical props on the Grey’s Anatomy set, her energy would be better suited to doing her real work. Instead, she lied to friends and family until ultimately resigning in 2022.

Elisabeth Finch issues an apology on the Anatomy of Lies premiere

In an aptly timed apology, Finch posted on her Instagram the regrets she had after all the lies came to light. She is now divorced from her wife, Jennifer Beyer, after she was caught lying about sexual harassment from a director on The Vampire Diaries and faking chemo treatments.

“I’ve given no one any reason to believe a word I say. I lied about so much; things so many people have been devastated by in real life. ‘I’m sorry’ feels like the smallest words compared to what I’ve done, yet they are the truest.”

After all is said and done, no explanation will satisfy. Andy Reaser had the complicated experience of wrapping his head around eight years of lies and still not understanding how anyone could commit such a fraud. Coming from someone who knew her personally, there is little hope for viewers at home. Fans can try to untangle this messy web by watching Anatomy of Lies, now streaming on Peacock.