Grey’s Anatomy reunion featured one controversial cast member

The cast of Grey’s Anatomy had a mini-reunion during the Emmys with the addition of one member who had a controversial exit from the series.

Since it first premiered back in 2005, the hit medical drama series Grey’s Anatomy has seen a ton of casting changes.

Following a group of doctors as they go through intense personal and professional issues, the show would routinely add and take away cast members with the actors making heartbreaking or controversial exits.

But the main original cast had a bit of a reunion at the 2024 Emmys and they were joined by one member who had one of the most controversial exits in the series.

Katherine Heigl joins Grey’s Anatomy’s Emmy reunion

The likes of Ellen Pompeo (Meredith Grey), Justin Chambers (Alex Karev), James Pickens Jr. (Richard Webber), and Chandra Wilson (Miranda Bailey) came together to present the Emmy for Best Supporting Actor in a limited or anthology series or movie.

However, fans of the show were shocked to see that the ensemble was joined by Katherine Heigl who played Izzie Stevens from Season 1 to Season 6.

Once on stage, Pompeo began the group’s speech stating, “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 continued the speech stating, “And yes, there have been changes over the years. But the one constant is the amazing fanbase,” which was a nod to the actress’ famous exit from the series in 2010.

Heigl ultimately left Grey’s Anatomy due to a combination of not feeling like her character was going away in the story and ongoing issues with the show’s creator Shonda Rhimes.

After she declined to put her name forward for Emmy consideration in 2008 because she felt like her character had little substance, rumors began to swirl that the show was about to kill her off.

So, Heigl then asked to be released from her contract 18 months earlier with the reasoning that she wanted to spend more time with her family.

There were also rumors that Heigl was an unpleasant person to work with as Rhimes told The Hollywood Reporter that her show Scandal had “no Heigls” in it, adding that she no longer “puts up with bullshit or nasty people. I don’t have time for it.”

However, it seems like flared tempers have cooled somewhat since Heigl’s exit from the show as she and Pompeo came together in early 2023 for Variety’s Actors on Actors series where Heigl praised Rhimes for “changing the entire dialogue of network television” and reflected on what a “privilege [it is] to grow older and wiser” in terms of seeing how impactful her work on Grey’s Anatomy was on her career.