Emmy Awards 2024: Katherine Heigl addresses her notorious Grey’s Anatomy exit

Katherine Heigl has recently opened up about her infamous exit from Grey’s Anatomy at the 2024 Emmy Awards on Monday.

On January 15, the cast of the show including Ellen Pompeo, Justin Chambers, James Pickens Jr. and Chandra Wilson all joined Heigl reunited to present an award for Best Supporting Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie at the awards ceremony.

Prior to name category’s winner, Pompeo said, “When the first episode of Grey’s Anatomy aired in March of 2005, I’m not sure if Shonda Rhimes knew that she had created a show that would have a lasting imprint on television and create lifelong friendships.”

Heigl interjected and admitted, “And yes, there have been changes over the years,” as she winked at the camera seemingly addressing her controversial exit from the series in 2010.

However, Heigl remarked, “The one constant is the amazing fanbase.”

Heigl’s exit from Grey’s Anatomy was scandalous as it was speculated that the actress had problems with both the cast and Shonda Rhimes, the show’s creator.

Earlier in 2022, speaking on SiriusXM host Bevy Smith, Heigl explained, “If I could have found a way to work within it, that could have also worked for me. But I only saw it as this one thing: I was up here at a level of intensity that was not healthy for me. And I just kind of fled in a panic.”

“I was breaking, it was breaking me, and I was young,” she added.

Meanwhile, Heigl along with other cast pronounced Paul Walter Hauser the winner for his role in Black Bird.