'Grey's Anatomy' star Ellen Pompeo says she's 'not really trying to find out' what former costar Jesse Williams looks like naked but she has to go support her friend in 'Take Me Out'

• Ellen Pompeo said she's "not really trying to find out" what Jesse Williams looks like naked.
• "I have to go support my friend," she said on her podcast about Williams' Broadway debut in "Take Me Out."

Ellen Pompeo said on Wednesday that she's "not really trying to find out" what her former costar Jesse Williams looks like naked, but she's facing a dilemma.

Williams does have nude scenes in his role as queer baseball player Darren Lemming in the 2022 revival of Richard Greenberg's play "Take Me Out."

"I have to go support my friend," Pompeo told her "Tell Me With Ellen Pompeo" guest, comedian Ms. Pat (whose full name is Patricia Williams).

Around the 22:30 mark of the episode, the pair were talking about the decriminalization of marijuana when Pompeo brought up the fact that Williams apparently has a lot of knowledge on the subject. Then she immediately changed the subject to Williams' Broadway debut and how she was nervous to see him naked.

She said she was talking to fellow "Grey's" star Debbie Allen, who also executive produces the medical drama, about her trepidation. "I said, 'I can't see Jesse naked on stage,'" Pompeo told Ms. Pat.

The comedian was interested in figuring out the degree of Williams' nudity, asking if he appears as naked as "a newborn baby" in the show.

Pompeo admitted she was unsure at the time the episode was recorded, which was before "Take Me Out" debuted.

"I don't really know, Pat. But I'm honestly not really trying to find out either," the mom of three said. "I mean, I have to go support my friend."

The ABC star pointed out that it might be a strange experience for Allen, too, because her character Catherine Fox is Williams' character Dr. Jackson Avery's mom on the hit medical drama.

"I was like, 'what are we gonna do? How are we gonna go see this show?'" Pompeo recalled of her conversation with Allen. "'Cause you want good seats but you want to be up close, but if he's gonna be naked on stage we don't want to be up close."

Pompeo said she and Allen have "a real situation to figure out" and invited Ms. Pat to go with them.

Ms. Pat was more than willing to go and said "I'll just cover your eyes" during the scenes in question.

Pompeo told Insider in November that Williams is "like a brother" to her and she wanted to be "super supportive of all of his new things," referencing his Broadway debut.

She also said she'd watch a "Grey's Anatomy" spinoff featuring Williams and his former on-screen love interest Sarah Drew reprising their roles as Jackson and April if they wanted to pursue the project.

"I'm also super grateful that the fans want a 'Japril' spin-off. Thank you to those loyal fans who still have ideas for our show and want to see new things," she said.

"Take Me Out" is playing now through June 10 at the Helen Hayes Theater.

New episodes of "Grey's Anatomy" return May 5 at 9 p.m. ET on ABC.