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Katherine Heigl Reunites With ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Stars at Emmy Awards Despite Past Rumored Feud
Katherine Heigl reunited with four of her original Grey’s Anatomy costars nearly 19 years after the show premiered in 2005 during the Emmy Awards.
Ellen Pompeo, Justin Chambers, James Pickens Jr. and Chandra Wilson joined Katherine, 45, on stage during the Emmy Awards on Monday, January 15, to announce the winner for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie category.
“When the first episode of Grey’s Anatomy aired in March 2005, I’m not sure Shonda Rhimes knew that she had created a show that will have a lasting influence on television and create lifelong friendships,” Ellen, 54, began.
After Justin, 53, noted that the show is “400 episodes and counting,” he said the legacy has become “tribute to everyone who is now part of our family.” Katherine added that “some changes over the years,” though the “incredible fan base” has remained a “constant.”
“You stayed with us through plane crashes, super storms, earthquakes and a global pandemic,” Chandra, 54, said. “And as we start our 20th season, we are officially the longest running primetime medical drama in TV history.”
James, 69, concluded the segment by saying their success has only been “possible” because of the fans. “So to all of our fans and to all of you — we thank you,” he said.
The reunion marked a rare outing for the cast. Katherine left the series in 2010, and Justin remained on the show for 10 more years until his abrupt exit in 2020. Meanwhile, Ellen left the show as a series regular in 2023 and will only appear in the upcoming season 20 as a recurring character.
Before Katherine quit the show, rumors swirled that she didn’t get along with the rest of the cast and was branded as difficult.
She famously told David Letterman during a 2009 interview that she wasn’t looking forward to going back to set after a hiatus. “Our first day back was Wednesday, and I’m going to keep saying this because I hope it embarrasses them, it was a 17-hour workday,” she said at the time. The Firefly Lane actress added that the work schedule was “cruel and mean.”
It was believed that she left the show on bad terms, though Ellen later defended Katherine’s comments during an April 2022 episode of the “Tell Me With Ellen Pompeo” podcast.
“I’m very lucky now with my schedule on Grey’s,” the Moonlight Mile actress said. “I get to cut back and overall, I’m happy for the production as a whole, because we have cut back tremendously. Back in the day, we used to do crazy, crazy hours.”
Ellen continued, “I remember Heigl said something on a talk show about the insane hours we were working, but she was 100 percent right — and had she said that today she’d be a complete hero, but she was ahead of her time.”
The former costars continued to prove that they’re on good terms when they reunited to participate in an Actors on Actors segment for Variety in June 2023.
