Grey’s Anatomy star Katherine Heigl has a reputation of being a diva. The actress rose to fame on the hit ABC medical drama as Dr. Izzie Stevens. In 2007, she won an Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for her work. The following year, many people thought Heigl would once again be a contender for the Supporting Actress race. Yet, when the nominations were announced, her name was missing.
The award snub was believed to be the decision of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. However, it was Heigl’s choice not to submit her name for consideration. In a statement, the actress said:
I do not feel I was given the material this season to warrant a nomination and in an effort to maintain the integrity of the academy organization, I withdrew my name from contention.
The comments created a firestorm because they were viewed as a diss toward the show’s writers. Many fans and other celebrities called the star ungrateful, and said without the writers she wouldn’t have her Emmy.
Katherine Heigl Regrets Emmy Snub Comments About Grey’s Anatomy
Heigl’s comments about her Emmy snub further added fuel to rumors of her being difficult on the set of Grey’s Anatomy. At the time, the star didn’t express any remorse for her diss toward the show. But after sixteen years, she’s now realizes she was wrong.
During a recent interview on the Let’s Be Clear podcast, host Shannen Doherty broached the topic of the 2008 controversy. Doherty began by saying, “I don’t know any person except for you that turns down an Emmy nomination.”
Heigl then explained how the nomination process works:
Well, I didn’t, and everybody keeps saying that. I didn’t turn it down. You know, you have to submit yourself. You have to submit your work, and then they deliberate and then they decide if they want to give you a nomination. I just didn’t submit my work that year.
As the statement she released at the time, the 27 Dresses actress wishes she had kept her mouth shut.
I should have said nothing. I should have said, ‘Oh, I forgot [to submit my work],’ because it created such a maelstrom that was so unnecessary, and it really was.
The star went on to say she was “trying to make a bit of a snarky point about my material that year.” While she would’ve taken a nomination, the actress wasn’t feeling her material and wasn’t proud of her work from that year. She felt she needed to do the right thing by removing her name from contention.
I was trying to be honorable, I guess. I was trying to have some integrity. I wasn’t trying to be a d***.
In 2010, after six seasons, Katherine Heigl left Grey’s Anatomy. Her character Izzie left Seattle, but the door was left open for a possible return.
Heigl shared a reunion with her former co-stars Ellen Pompeo, Chandra Wilson, Justin Chambers, and James Pickens Jr. at the Emmy Awards in January 2024. As for whether she’ll reunite with them on the medical drama, anything is possible in Hollywood.
