Falsehoods abound in a world of deception.

Elisabeth Finch, a television writer, didn’t limit her creative storytelling to her screenplays. In the series “Anatomy of Lies” currently available on Peacock, this bold creator spun intricate tales to amplify her real life, which she claimed was genuine. This three-part docuseries, produced by Vanity Fair studios, is based on a detailed article published in the magazine in 2022.

Finch started her career with HBO’s “True Blood” in 2009 and worked on CW’s “The Vampire Diaries” from 2012 to 2014. She then achieved her dream role as a writer on ABC’s “Grey’s Anatomy,” partly due to a compelling 2014 essay she penned for Elle about her supposed struggle with a rare and occasionally deadly bone cancer, chondrosarcoma. (This same cancer was portrayed in Season 15 of “Grey’s” by Debbie Allen’s character, Catherine Avery, after Finch inspired the storyline.)

However, it turns out that Finch had never had the disease at all. Over her tenure from 2014 to 2022, she authored 13 episodes and produced a total of 172.

She fabricated enormous lies, such as the faux cancer diagnosis; committed unforgivable acts, claiming she aided in the cleanup of human remains at Pittsburgh’s Tree of Life synagogue following a tragic shooting in 2018; and shared bizarre tales, including that Anna Paquin had donated a kidney to her.

Some of the most unsettling insights come from Finch’s ex-wife, Jennifer Beyer. They married in 2020 but separated the following year.

“I feel like I don’t even know who my wife is,” Beyer chillingly reveals in the docuseries, after realizing she was caught in Finch’s elaborate deception.

Here are the most shocking events featured in “Anatomy of Lies.”

How did Elisabeth Finch pretend to have cancer?

Finch executed several tactics to maintain her cancer charade. For instance, she applied bandages on her chest to create the illusion of a chemotherapy port, as former “Grey’s” writer Kiley Donovan mentions in the docuseries.

Another former colleague, Andy Reaser, recalled how Finch would wrap her head in a scarf to cover up her alleged hair loss from chemotherapy. He was led to believe that she would excuse herself to go to the restroom to vomit after her ‘treatments’, saying, “It really started to feel like I might be attending her funeral.”

What did Elisabeth Finch claim about the Tree of Life synagogue shooting?

After the horrific attack on October 27, 2018, Finch quickly left work to inform her “Grey’s” coworkers that she was going to Pittsburgh. She stated that she had previously attended services at the synagogue and claimed connections to some of the 11 victims.

Reaser assumed Finch had played a role in helping with the aftermath by staying there and collecting remains.

Finch later tweeted: “I spent sunup to sundown cleaning up the remains of my friend after the Pittsburgh Synagogue Shooting.”

According to Donovan, Finch had a pattern of seeking relevance, noting: “I began to notice that whenever something made headlines or was trending, Finch always seemed to have a personal link or story related to it.” Additionally, she claimed she had undergone an abortion while undergoing chemotherapy to avoid delays in her treatments. “It seemed like abortion was yet another issue Finch wanted to claim ownership of,” observed Donovan.

How was Elisabeth Finch exposed?

In May 2019, Finch checked into a wellness center for PTSD treatment, using the pseudonym Jo, the name of a character she had created. There, she met Beyer, a nurse seeking help for her own issues stemming from prior trauma, having been abused and stalked by the father of her five children. (When he died by suicide, Finch appropriated this story, telling colleagues it was her brother who had killed himself, claiming she had to decide to remove him from life support.)

After a few months of marriage in 2020, Beyer began to notice distressing trends.

“It feels like whenever someone else is receiving attention, Finch becomes triggered,” Beyer noted. “She requires the spotlight on her. She wants the support.”

Beyer also began to spot contradictions in Finch’s narratives, which she sought to verify through Finch’s social media accounts. Although Finch claimed that she was in Pittsburgh during the day of the synagogue tragedy, she was seen in a Halloween costume enjoying time with friends. Beyer also realized that Finch lacked a port for cancer treatments or any lasting scars from such procedures.

“The reality of my situation began to dawn on me,” Beyer reflected. “I…
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During a visit to a mental health facility, I became acquainted with a woman. I welcomed her into my home and allowed her to be part of my children’s lives. Unfortunately, she deceived me without my knowledge.

Beyer recounts that when she questioned Finch about her dishonesty, Finch attempted to fabricate another story, claiming she had previously battled cancer. Ultimately, she confessed to being “untruthful,” doing so with a lack of emotion or fear, Beyer observed. Additionally, Finch acknowledged that she was not at the synagogue when Beyer presented her with proof of her lies.

Feeling it was important for “Grey’s Anatomy” co-creator Shonda Rhimes to be made aware of Finch’s falsehoods, Beyer sent an email alerting Rhimes about the situation. Following being placed on administrative leave, Finch resigned from the series in 2022.

What has Elisabeth Finch said?

Beyer reveals in the docuseries that Finch claimed her fabrications stemmed from a constant desire for attention.

“It was a grueling recovery period, and then everything was eerily quiet because everyone was naturally celebrating my recovery,” Kiefer relayed Finch’s thoughts. “But the silence was overwhelming. I had no support, which drove me back to my old unhealthy coping strategy — I lied and fabricated stories to seek the attention and support I craved. That’s how those lies began — from that silence.”