Katherine Heigl was on the rise of popularity when she stepped into the role of Dr. Izzie Stevens in Grey’s Anatomy. This show then further pushed her to international stardom, and she became a household name, all thanks to her brilliant portrayal. But in the midst of all the success, she made headlines but for all the wrong reasons when she criticized the writers of the popular medical drama.
This criticism also did not go well with the showrunner of the show Shonda Rhimes. And in an Oprah interview she made sure to slam the actress in her own way.
Shonda Rhimes Bashed Katherine Heigl for Her Comments on Grey’s Anatomy Writers
Dr. Izzie Stevens quickly gathered a huge fan following as soon as the first episode of Grey’s Anatomy was out in the open. Throughout the course of the show, the viewers also watched several storylines of hers that made their connection with her character even deeper. For her portrayal, Katherine Heigl also won an Emmy Award as well as two Golden Globe nominations.
There was no stopping for her, but in 2008, she took one controversial step that completely changed the course of her career trajectory. In the same year, the actress publicly withdrew her name from the Emmy consideration and made a public statement against Grey’s Anatomy writers. She added:
I did not feel that I was given the material this season to warrant an Emmy nomination … I did not want to potentially take away an opportunity from an actress who was given such materials.
This was a huge blow for the show’s writers and producers, and many saw her statements as downright ungrateful, as the show was a huge part of her success. Not only this, but she also brought in the aspect of compensation that she was getting on Anatomy.
When the showrunner of the show Shonda Rhimes went on the Oprah Winfrey Show via US Magazine, she did not hide her disappointment and added:
On some level it stung, and on some level I was not surprised. When people show you who they are, believe them. I carry that with me a lot. It has served me well.
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The showrunner added that while her comments didn’t come as a surprise to her, it did hurt considering what the show had done for her career. However, this was not the first time that Katherine Heigl had stirred up controversy.
Katherine Heigl Criticized the Movie Knocked for Being S*xist
Katherine Heigl’s public comments did not stop with bashing Grey’s Anatomy, but also continued when she landed the movie Knocked up in the same year. In an interview with Vanity Fair, she added:
It was a little s*xist. It paints women as shrews, as humorless and uptight, and it paints the men as lovable, goofy, fun-loving guys. It exaggerated the characters, and I had a hard time with it, on some days. I’m playing such a b***h; why is she being such a killjoy? Why is this how you’re portraying women? Ninety-eight percent of the time it was an amazing experience, but it was hard for me to love the movie.
These remarks were extremely hurtful to her co-star Seth Rogen and director Judd Apatow, who were caught completely off-guard. In an interview, Rogen showed his disappointment with her statements and added that he was having a good time filming the movie. Further, even the audience liked it.
But when he heard the actress saying that she didn’t like it he felt betrayed. Rogen also added that she didn’t even apologize for her remarks. After this Katherine Heigl’s image suffered a great deal in the industry and some even labelled her as a difficult actress to work with.
She did in later interviews showcased her deep regret on how she handled those issues. Further adding that her words were taken out of context.