Grey’s Anatomy has seen many characters leave, mostly those from season 1, and among those is Katherine Heigl’s Izzie – and here’s why she left. Created by Shonda Rhimes, Grey’s Anatomy debuted on ABC in 2005 as a mid-season replacement, but it was so well-received by critics and viewers that it has lived on for over 10 seasons, with no signs of stopping soon.

Grey’s Anatomy follows the basic premise of medical dramas, centering on the lives of surgical interns, residents, and attendings as they juggle their personal and professional lives, which more often than not overlap. The series’ lead is Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo), who began as an intern and is now the head of general surgery at Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital. Many characters that went on to become fan-favorites began their run in Grey’s Anatomy alongside Meredith, as were Cristina Yang (Sandra Oh), George O’Malley (T.R. Knight), and Izzie Stevens. The latter’s story ended up being quite tough, and it might have been due to behind-the-scenes drama.

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In season 5, Izzie was diagnosed with cancer, and after a complicated treatment and surgery to remove a brain tumor (performed by none other than Derek Shepherd, of course), she got better. Izzie went back to work but was fired after giving the wrong dosage of medicine to a patient. From then on, everything went downhill for Izzie, and her appearances in the show became sporadic. Izzie left Seattle to start a new life and later sent divorce papers to Alex Karev. Izzie’s arc came to a full, proper end when Alex’s ended as well, as it was revealed that he left his partner, Jo, and Seattle to go back with Izzie, who was now working as a surgical oncologist and had twins, who were also Alex’s. Before Izzie’s cancer storyline, there were some issues behind-the-scenes that appear to have driven the writers to find a way to get rid of Izzie, and it all goes back to 2008.

Back then, Katherine Heigl declined to put her name forward for consideration at the Emmy Awards, stating she hadn’t been given enough material on the series to warrant a nomination. Although she later tried to explain what she truly meant, the damage was already done, and even though she apologized to Rhimes, the latter told Oprah Winfrey (via TV Guide) that she wasn’t surprised, and “when people show you who they are, believe them”. After that, rumors about the writers of Grey’s Anatomy planning to kill Izzie began to emerge, but the cancer storyline came a couple of seasons later. In 2009, Heigl requested to be released from her contract 18 months earlier, explaining she wanted to spend more time with her family and that it wasn’t respectful to fans of the series to see Izzie come and go.

However, there are also rumors that she’s very difficult to work with, and that might have played a big part in her departure. Rhimes once referred to her when talking to The Hollywood Reporter about problematic actors, saying that on her show Scandal there were “no Heigls”, and she now refuses to work with “nasty people”. Heigl does have a reputation as a not very pleasant person to work with, which is why she hasn’t been in more big projects since Grey’s Anatomy. The way Izzie’s departure was handled was strange, as she wasn’t given proper closure until many seasons later, and just as a device to give another character an ending.

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Adrienne Tyler
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Adrienne Tyler is a features writer for Screen Rant. She is an Audiovisual Communication graduate who wanted to be a filmmaker, but life had other plans (and it turned out great). Prior to Screen Rant, she wrote for Pop Wrapped, 4 Your Excitement (4YE), and D20Crit, where she was also a regular guest at Netfreaks podcast. She was also a contributor for FanSided’s BamSmackPow and 1428 Elm. Adrienne is very into films and she enjoys a bit of everything: from superhero films to heartbreaking dramas, to low-budget horror films. Every time she manages to commit to a TV show without getting bored, an angel gets its wings.

When she’s not writing, you can find her trying to learn a new language, watching hockey (go Avs!), or wondering what life would have been like had Pushing Daisies, Firefly, and Limitless not been cancelled. Breakfast food is life and coffee is what makes the world go round.

Guillermo del Toro said “hi” to her once. It was great.

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