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This article contains spoilers for Anatomy of Lies.
Amid calls for fuller queer representation, one docuseries has finally given us the sapphic grifter we didn’t know we needed. Released October 15 on Peacock, Anatomy of Lies is a series based on a Vanity Fair investigation into the life of Elisabeth Finch, a writer for Grey’s Anatomy. Finch is accused of telling lies about her life, including that she had a rare form of cancer — going so far as to fake chemo treatments — and used many of her tall tales as fodder for storylines in the hit TV show.
Is it portraying a positive queer story? No. But is it real, raw, and packed with harrowing details that grip the public’s long-standing fascination with serial liars? Absolutely. Initially printed as a two-part investigative feature by writer and editor Evgenia Peretz, Anatomy of Lies details how Finch reportedly constructed a web of lies in order to land a writing job on the Shonda Rhimes series, used her co-workers’ life stories for plots in the show, and mined her now ex-wife’s traumatic past for content.
In addition to outlining the alleged lies, the new docuseries charts the subsequent fallout once it all began to unravel. Although Finch admitted to fabricating her cancer diagnosis (and a handful of other things) in a 2022 interview with The Ankler, she has not yet addressed the myriad other alleged lies the series accuses her of. The day Anatomy of Lies released, Finch posted a note on Instagram saying she “lied about so much” and promised to “repair whatever damage I can.”
With so many in and outs to the story, it might be hard to parse through it all, so we broke down some of your most common questions: What is the series about? Who is Elisabeth Finch? And what exactly did she supposedly lie about? Read on to find out.
Who is Elisabeth Finch?
Elisabeth Finch, 47, is a former television writer and co-executive producer for Grey’s Anatomy, the hit television drama about surgeons at a Seattle hospital, that has been on the air since 2005. Prior to joining Rhimes’ team in 2014, Finch worked on well-known shows such as True Blood and The Vampire Diaries.
According to Anatomy of Lies, Finch desperately wanted to write on Grey’s, but hadn’t been able to get hired there despite her TV writing experience. But after Elle published an essay by Finch about her battle with a rare form of cancer, she got Rhimes’ attention and finally landed a gig writing for her dream show. Her job there was the springboard for a series of lies that followed, including ones that eventually put her in contact with her now ex-wife, Jennifer Beyer.
What is Anatomy of Lies about?
The new Peacock docuseries, co-directed by Peretz and her husband, David Schisgall, reveals the lies Finch reportedly constructed about her life only to use those same fables in her work as a television writer and later co-executive producer of Grey’s Anatomy. The series begins in 2015 and takes viewers through the publication of the article exposing Finch in 2022.
What does the show say Finch lied about?
If you want to keep it simple, what didn’t Finch lie about? But in all seriousness, Finch’s alleged falsehoods seem to span far and wide, and include a variety of characters and tragedies. Aside from making up her cancer diagnosis (and later using it as inspiration for a Grey’s storyline), Finch reportedly lied about a series of tragedies that explained her absences from the show.
She allegedly told coworkers that her friend was killed in the 2018 attack at the Tree of Life Congregation in Pittsburgh, and that she had to clean up their remains. Finch was also vocal about her therapy journey, which she said helped her realize that her brother had abused her as a child, and that the traumatic relationship culminated in her having to turn off his life support after a failed suicide attempt. She claimed that both of those experiences — neither of which were true — left her with PTSD that she said she had to seek treatment for.
As the ruse went on, she checked herself into a mental health facility, where she met her now ex-wife Beyer, who was seeking treatment for trauma and taking refuge from an abusive relationship. During her extended stay at the facility, Finch formed a close relationship with Beyer, which eventually led to them getting married and raising Beyer’s five children together. This all unfolded as Finch allegedly continued to lie to her unsuspecting co-workers. Much of the documentary focuses on Beyer’s own harrowing journey and realization that Finch had invented important details about her life and past.
Has Finch admitted to the things she is accused of?
In an October 15 Instagram post, Finch confessed to lying and apologized publicly for her actions, particularly to her ex-wife and children.
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“I lied about so much; things so many people have been devastated by in real life,” she wrote. “‘I’m sorry’ feels like the smallest words compared to what I’ve done, yet they are the truest. I trapped myself in the addiction of lies, betraying and traumatizing my closest family, friends, and colleagues.”
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