'She Fooled Hollywood': ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Writer Who Lied About Cancer Gets Docuseries

Peacock has announced a three-part docuseries, Anatomy of Lies, centred on Elisabeth Finch, the former Grey's Anatomy writer who fabricated numerous details about her medical and personal history in an attempt to advance her career in Hollywood. Finch, however, is not part of the documentary, which is set to release all three episodes on October 15.

New Docuseries Exposes Lies of Grey’s Anatomy Writer

The streamer released a trailer for the series on September 17, which promises interviews with those who were close to Finch and reveals the shocking extent of her deceptions. Finch’s ultimate deception involved her wife, trauma survivor Jennifer Beyer. The couple married in 2020, but it wasn’t long before Beyer began to uncover the truth behind Finch’s fabricated life. The documentary reportedly follows Beyer’s journey as she attempts to reclaim her story from Finch, who had long convinced others that her lies were reality.

According to the official press release, the documentary exposes how Finch, described as "a master of manipulation," spun an elaborate web of lies around her life story and manipulated the empathy of those around her. Take a look at its trailer here.

Who is Elisabeth Finch?

Elisabeth Finch began her career with the 2006 short film Looking for My Brother. She then worked as a writers' assistant on True Blood from 2008 to 2010, contributing to multiple episodes. Finch later wrote for No Ordinary Family before joining The Vampire Diaries in 2012, where she was credited for her work on several episodes as a story writer and editor. 

Finch joined Grey’s Anatomy as a staff writer in 2014. Over the years, she claimed to have survived a rare form of bone cancer, lost a kidney and part of her leg, endured sexual assault, and had a friend die in the 2018 Tree of Life synagogue shooting. These stories, which she used to garner sympathy and respect, came under scrutiny following a 2022 Vanity Fair exposé that revealed her entire narrative was false.

In response, Disney placed Finch on administrative leave, and she eventually resigned from the show. Speaking with The Ankler in 2022, Finch admitted, "I never had any form of cancer," and confessed that her lies spiralled out of control. Reflecting on why she lied, Finch attributed her actions to coping mechanisms. "The best way I can explain it is when you experience a level of trauma, a lot of people adopt maladaptive coping mechanisms. Some people drink, some do drugs, and I lied,” she explained.