The catastrophic Los Angeles wildfires have sparked widespread and generous relief efforts across the city, including a cluster of new donation centers, hundreds if not thousands of GoFundMe campaigns, and a string of multimillion-dollar donations from Hollywood’s top studios, streamers, companies and nonprofits. and stars like Leonardo DiCaprio, Eva Longoria and Taylor Swift.
However, the efforts of one specific – disgraced – individual are now raising concerns. Grey’s Anatomy writer Elisabeth Finch – who announced on social media that she was raising money directly through her Venmo account. “It’s just me. Boots on the ground. It was hard enough finding dog food during the evacuation and I was in a safe place. So this is for people who have next to nothing and have pets with basic needs,” read a post that was making the rounds on Facebook on Thursday and was reportedly shared on Finch’s private account . Finch asked people to send donations directly to him via Venmo “to avoid GoFundMe fees” or through another banking service, Zelle.
Finch’s post was reported by Jamie Denbo, a veteran actress, television writer and co-executive producer for Grey’s Anatomy. She shared it and criticized Finch while revealing some of his past fraudulent behavior that was detailed in the recent Peacock docuseries. Anatomy of lying. “This person is a scammer and a liar,” Denbo posted on Facebook to his more than 4,500 friends on a public account, viewed by The Hollywood Reporter. “It’s well documented in the Peacock series Anatomy of lying. Unless you want to send her donations of 69 cents for her “cancer treatment” (she doesn’t have cancer) or maybe “in memory of her late brother” (he’s alive) or any other thing she lied about (everything). DO NOT DONATE to Elisabeth Finch!!!
The post prompted a number of comments from some Hollywood professionals, most of whom expressed disbelief (examples: “NO WAY”, “the AUDACITY” and “WILD”), while others shows lightness. “Maybe she’s finally moved on and is donating directly to puppies in need,” a friend wrote.
THR has contacted Denbo and Finch for additional comment. Finch issued a statement defending his actions and responded to netizens’ suspicions. “I recognize that, given my history, people might be skeptical of my fundraising efforts. I try to make amends in any way I can, including helping my community, especially during these difficult times,” Finch said. THR. “Many organizations ask for gift cards because they are overwhelmed with physical donations, and I didn’t want people’s pet needs to get lost in the mix. »
Denbo, meanwhile, had this to say via text message: “Elisabeth continues to rip off, deceive and produce incredible material that comedians like me can use and make fun of her relentlessly. I can’t thank her enough! (Just for the last thing.) Keep it up, Finch!
The whole Finch situation sent shockwaves across the world. Grey’s Anatomy family, a devoted fan base and beyond, as it became one of the most stunning Hollywood scandals in recent memory. Finch had been one of the best writers turned co-executive producer on Grey’s for eight seasons before finally being exposed for a series of explosive lies. The revelations came via emails sent to Grey’s creator and boss Shonda Rhimes by Finch’s ex-wife, Jennifer Beyer, who claimed that Finch fabricated many elements of her personal life, stories that inspired countless storylines.
Finch claimed she suffered from the rare bone cancer chondrosarcoma, lost a kidney and had an abortion, and suffered from PTSD due to close ties to the synagogue shooting from Pittsburgh in 2018, among other fabricated stories of trauma, some of which were released via the Grey’s writer. bedroom.
Finch was subsequently placed under investigation by Shondaland and Disney, and ultimately took an indefinite leave of absence. Grey’s in March 2022. Renowned writer Evgenia Peretz published a two-part investigation into Finch in Vanity Fairfor which Beyer helped expose Finch’s years of false claims. Peretz then teamed up with David Schisgall to make Anatomy of lies for Peacock.
Since then, Finch has issued two public apologies; one in a late 2022 interview with Peter Kiefer for The ankleand another on her (now private) social media, where she apologized to her family and friends that day. Anatomy of lies was released. Beyer, on Facebook, rejected the latter proposal, saying his ex-wife had “shown no significant remorse for her actions toward me or my children.”
Jackie Strause contributed to this report.
