Katherine Heigl calls Grey's Anatomy's Alex-Izzy reunion 'a**hole move', here's why she'll never return to show
Katherine Heigl's Izzy Stevens had a rather unceremonious exit from the ABC medical drama 'Grey's Anatomy' due to tensions between her and showrunner Shonda Rhimes. It has been 10 years since Heigl left the show, but she still has a place in the heart of fans. Her presence loomed larger than ever in Season 16, Episode 16, during Alex Karev's (Justin Chambers) abrupt exit from the show. Alex's story was written off in a rather unforgivable manner. He reunited with Izzy, despite being happily married to Jo (Camilla Luddington). Of course, we never saw Heigl on screen, but this bizarre twist left many fans seething with rage.
Recently, Heigl chimed in on Izzy and Alex's reunion and didn't hold back while speaking to ET Online on how she felt about his exit. "'Wasn't he with someone?'" Heigl asked after being updated on the episode's storyline, adding: "Listen, isn't that an a**hole move?"
Showrunner Krista Vernoff, who is now taking decisions instead of Rhimes, had explained last year, "'At the end of the day, there were three choices. Kill Alex off camera; have Alex be alive and in Seattle — and still married to Jo — and we just never see him; or [reunite him] with Izzie." Well, their third option hasn't worked out too well, as this reunion cost 16 years worth of character development for Alex, who had become a reliable and level-headed friend to Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo).
While Season 17 of 'Grey's Anatomy' saw cameos from Patrick Dempsey as Derek Shepherd and TR Knight as George, Heigl isn't keen on returning to the show. She had said about her new show 'Firefly Lane', "I'm super focused on this show and my passion for it. I would never say never but it's not likely."
There were rumors of a feud between Heigl and Rhimes, though Heigl tries to maintain otherwise. Rumors began to spread like wildfire after Heigl withdrew from the Emmy race in 2008, as she felt that the show didn't give her enough material to warrant an Emmy nomination. She told Howard Stern: "I went in because I was really embarrassed. So I went in to [see] Shonda and said, 'I'm so sorry. That wasn't cool, and I should not have said that.'"
"And I shouldn't have said anything publicly. But at the time, I didn't think anyone would notice... I just quietly didn't submit and then it became a story, and I felt I was obligated to make my statement, and [I should have just said], "Shut up, Katie."' There was much speculation about her being 'difficult' on the show. After several bumpy years and much tension, Heigl left 'Grey's Anatomy' in the sixth season.
In an interview with Vanity Fair, Heigl revealed that she was so traumatized by the fallout that she eventually sought professional help. “I had never done therapy until a couple years ago,” said Heigl. “I started going because of the... scrutiny. I was not handling it well. I was feeling completely like the biggest piece of shit on the bottom of your shoe. I was really struggling with it and how to not take it all personally and not to feel that there’s something really deeply wrong with me. It was at first very hard. It is definitely anxiety-inducing,” Heigl continued. “And for me, it’s a lot too about just wanting to sleep at night. I don’t want to compromise who I am and what I have to say that I go to bed [thinking about saying stuff that is not me].”
Rhimes remains tight-lipped about Heigl, though her feelings come through veiled hints when she once spoke about her show 'Scandal'. "There are no Heigls in this situation..."
Enough said?
'Grey's Anatomy' returns on March 2, ABC, on Thursdays at 9 pm.