We’re used to television dramas charting some pretty unbelievable storylines, so you’d be forgiven for thinking that Anatomy of Lies is a work of fiction. But in actual fact, the latest addition to US streaming giant Peacock deals exclusively with the truth.
If you’re not familiar with the wild turn of events at the centre of it all, allow us to fill you in. Anatomy of Lies charts the story of Elisabeth Finch, a television writer who worked on Grey's Anatomy and, throughout her career, lied about battling cancer. When she was found out, journalist Evgenia Peretz wrote a scathing exposé for Vanity Fair, tracing Finch’s complex web of lies and exactly how deep they went. Now, Peretz’ article has been adapted for screen and, understandably, audiences are losing their minds.
Who is Elisabeth Finch?
Elisabeth Finch was an aspiring American television writer, who had worked on shows like True Blood and The Vampire Diaries. Despite her fairly impressive CV, Finch reportedly had her sights set on a writing role for Grey’s Anatomy – her personal favourite television series.
In February, 2014, the writer penned an article for ELLE US, where she revealed that she had been diagnosed with chondrosarcoma, a rare form of bone cancer. Not long after, the article caught the attention of Shonda Rhimes, aka the creator of Grey’s Anatomy, who decided to bring Finch on board.
View this post on Instagram
According to Anatomy of Lies, Finch’s diagnosis meant she became the go-to for any storylines on Grey’s Anatomy relating to cancer. In 2018, she wrote an episode titled ‘Anybody Have A Map?’, in which surgeon Catherine Avery (Debbie Allen) is diagnosed with the exact cancer Finch claimed to have.
Her former Grey’s Anatomy colleagues have recalled the lengths that Finch went to to convince them of her diagnosis. Speaking to The Ankler in 2022, one co-worker explained, “We worked with someone who not only said she was sick with cancer but looked sick with cancer.”
They continued, saying Finch presented as someone “who lost her hair, whose skin was yellow and green, who had a visible chemo port bandage, who regularly took breaks to vomit, who only ate saltines for long periods of time, and who wrote and talked about her experiences all the time.”
The documentary also alleges that Finch had an obsession with traumatic storylines, and would frequently inject her writing for Grey’s with disturbing things she claimed had happened in her real life.
For example, former Grey’s Anatomy writer Kiley Donovan claimed that Finch had told her that her father had raped her mother. Donovan went on to explain that Finch had written this into the Grey’s Anatomy episode, ‘Silent All These Years,’ which saw doctor Jo (Camilla Luddington) triggered by a sexual assault patient, resulting in flashbacks to her mother telling her she had been conceived in rape.
How did Elisabeth Finch get caught out?
This specific Grey’s Anatomy episode is also how Finch’s lies eventually unravelled. The stress of writing ‘Silent All These Years’ prompted Finch to check into a mental health facility, where she met Jen Beyer, a nurse. The pair quickly became more than just friends, and were married in early 2020.
One day during their marriage, when Beyer was looking through old Facebook photos, she spotted one in particular of Finch sporting a bandage supposedly where her chemotherapy port had been inserted. But, now knowing Finch intimately, Beyer said she had never noticed a scar in that area – and quickly realised that Finch hadn’t actually been battling with cancer.
“I started looking at her Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, comparing her stories to what she's told me and what she's posting online,” she explained in the documentary.
Beyer confronted Finch, who admitted to her lies, but refused to come clean publicly. So, in an act of desperation, Beyer got in touch with Shonda Rhimes via email, who put Finch on administrative leave, before she eventually resigned altogether.
Once her resignation was made public, Finch actually did admit to lying, telling The Ankler, “I know it’s absolutely wrong what I did. I lied and there’s no excuse for it. But there’s context for it.”
“The best way I can explain it is when you experience a level of trauma a lot of people adopt a maladaptive coping mechanism. Some people drink to hide or forget things [...] I lied. That was my coping and my way to feel safe and seen and heard.”
Where to watch Anatomy of Lies in Australia
Unfortunately, Australians dying to delve into the full web of Finch's lies will have to wait. The documentary has officially dropped in the US via Peacock, which doesn't currently have an Aussie equivalent. We'll let you know if and when the series is attached to an Australian streaming service.
In the meantime, why not fill the true-crime-shaped hole in your heart with American Nightmare on Netflix, or Girl in The Basement, on Binge.
[russh_ socials]
Featured products are selected editorially. Our opinions are our own. Occasionally, we may receive a standard affiliate partner fee if you make a purchase using the links we feature.
