Katherine Heigl Exit, Grey's Anatomy Feud Confirmed
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Grey's Anatomy confirm that Katherine Heigl is indeed leaving the hit series after nearly six seasons, amid reports last week that the original cast member was as good as gone.
But why is she leaving? And how will Izzie be written out? The answers may surprise you.
According to E! Online, Katherine has been asking to leave the medical drama for close to three years, and she finally got what she wanted last week when Grey's Anatomy creator / executive producer Shonda Rhimes and ABC agreed to let her out of her contract.
According to one of Heigl's coworkers on the Grey's Anatomy set, things got "pretty miserable" for all parties involved and "they [the producers] decided to let her leave."
The show's ABC rep has no comment, and Heigl just parted ways with her personal publicist, but it looks increasingly likely that Katherine will not return at all to the set.
The circumstances surrounding Katherine Heigl's departure are odd to say the least.
Unlike T.R. Knight, whose George O'Malley ended up getting a heroic, and tragic sendoff during the Season 5 finale, the writing staff is unsure how to handle Heigi's exit.
Perhaps the weirdest thing about all of this is how it was handled. As we reported, Heigl was planning on returning to the Grey's Anatomy set two weeks ago ... but did not.
So was she a no-show? If so, why? A source in Heigl's camp says she wasn't given a call time to return to Grey's Anatomy after her family leave ended earlier this month.
According to this source, Heigl's "calls weren't returned" when she phoned in asking when to report back. A statement may be made regarding this matter later this week.
Basically, it looks like there's no love lost, or communication between parties in this contentious TV divorce. Was Shonda so bitter at Katherine that she didn't even call her?
Who do you think is at fault? And how should Izzie's exit be handled?
Steve Marsi is the Managing Editor of TV Fanatic. Follow him on Google+ or email him here.