'Grey's Anatomy' season 13 cast news, spoilers: Ellen Pompeo stays on, inks new deal as Meredith; star talks Jo's secret

"Grey's Anatomy" star Ellen Pompeo has signed a new deal to stay on the long-running medical drama.

While many "Grey's Anatomy" fans are still mourning the departure of long-time cast member Sara Ramirez, who played Dr. Callie Torres for years on the show, this latest bit of news should give them some assurance that the beloved ABC drama is moving forward and will be around for at least another year.

On Wednesday, June 1, Pompeo's new deal was confirmed by a representative of the actress, Deadline reports. According to the outlet, the "Grey's Anatomy" star's new contract will keep her among the ranks of the highest-paid actresses in Hollywood. Pompeo reportedly earns over $300,000 for each episode of "Grey's Anatomy."

The news that Pompeo will stay put comes as little surprise, however, as the show does revolve around Meredith Grey's life. "Grey's Anatomy" creator Shonda Rhimes has also previously announced that the series will end if and when Pompeo says that she wants out.

Pompeo, who rose to fame when "Grey's Anatomy" premiered in 2005, has said that she just might quit acting after the medical drama eventually concludes.

Meanwhile, "Grey's Anatomy" actress Camilla Luddington, who plays Dr. Jo Wilson, has spoken up about the character's big secret, which was revealed during the season 12 finale.

During the season 12 ender, viewers finally got the reason for Jo turning down Alex's (Justin Chambers) proposal, and it was one that took many by surprise: Jo is already married and she had fled her marriage because her husband was abusive. She had even gone so far as to change her name and was scared that if she filed for divorce, her husband would come and find her.

In an interview with Variety, Luddington shed some light on her character's complicated backstory.

"It's obviously someone that she thinks is extremely dangerous, and it's not someone who would only affect her but would also affect Alex," she said. "I would assume that we have to explore that. I think it's a big enough story and issue that you can't touch on it and then pretend that it's in the background. At some point, all of those details will have to come out."

"Grey's Anatomy" returns for Season 13 this fall on ABC.