ABC’s medical drama Grey’s Anatomy is famous for its ever-changing cast. During its long run (which some consider too long), fans have seen several of their favorite characters exit the show. Usually, their departure is explained through dramatic storylines that lead them to move on from Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital — sometimes even by dying, like Patrick Dempsey’s Derek Shepherd did. However, only a few departures got significant attention from the audience not just for the drama on-screen but also what happened off-screen. One of those was the exit of Katherine Heigl.
Heigl, who portrayed Dr. Izzie Stevens, was part of the principal cast of Grey’s Anatomy from the beginning. Izzie quickly became a fan-favorite character, beloved for her morality and vulnerability as well as for her turbulent personal life. Heigl won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series in 2007; however, controversies between the actress and the show’s creators started becoming public following her Emmy win. Rumors of tension continued to surround the show up until Heigl’s departure during Season 6. While elaborate rumors on why Heigl left have persisted since she left the show, the true reason behind her exit isn’t complicated.
Who Was Izzie Stevens on Grey’s Anatomy?
Izzie Stevens was introduced in the series as the new intern at then-Seattle Grace Hospital under Dr. Miranda Bailey. Izzie became close with fellow interns Meredith Grey, Christina Yang and especially George O’Malley, with whom she became roommates. She also got involved with her on-and-off love interest Alex Karev. Initially, Izzie was portrayed as lacking confidence compared to the other more assertive interns, due to her lower-class family background. However, she eventually found her inner strength.
In Season 2, Izzie got close to heart patient Denny Duquette, Jr. (portrayed by Jeffrey Dean Morgan before he became Negan on The Walking Dead). The two got engaged while he was still in the hospital. As Denny’s condition worsened, Izzie’s love for him led her to break medical rules in order to get him a heart transplant faster. While she succeeded in getting Denny the transplant, he eventually died from an unexpected stroke, which devastated her. Izzie quit the hospital to mourn but later returned on probation.
In Season 5, Izzie rekindled her relationship with Alex but started having hallucinations of Denny before finding out that she had cancer. She spent the rest of the season going through treatment and married Alex. In the Season 5 finale, after her tumor was successfully removed, she had a near-death experience — in which she dreamed about George, who had just died in a car accident — but the doctors succeeded in resuscitating her. Izzie was fired after administering an incorrect dosage of medication to a patient during Season 6. She was briefly away before deciding to make her exit permanent and asked Alex to leave Seattle with her, but he refused. However, that wasn’t the end of their story.
During Season 16, Izzie was revealed to be living in Kansas, working as a surgical oncologist. Apparently, Izzie and Alex had some fertilized embryos frozen before her chemotherapy and kept them in a fertility clinic for years. Izzie had at some point decided to go forward with IVF and became pregnant with twins. Upon finding this out, Alex decided to leave his then-wife to be with Izzie and the kids, finally giving the duo their happily ever after.
Why Katherine Heigl Left Grey’s Anatomy
The rumors surrounding Heigl’s exit from the medical drama cite the fractured relationship of the actress with the creative team as the primary reason for Izzie Stevens getting written off the series. Heigl’s decision to withdraw from consideration for the 2008 Emmy Awards — followed by her statement explaining that she didn’t feel the material deserved it— was perceived as publicly attacking the series’ writers. This caused Heigl to be dubbed “difficult” throughout the rest of her career.
However, according to TODAY, Heigl’s real reason for leaving Grey’s Anatomy was motherhood. During Season 6, the actress went on maternity leave after adopting her first child — which explained Izzie’s temporary exit early in the season. After spending some time as a mom, the actress decided to focus more on her family, so she returned for a few episodes to wrap up Izzie’s storyline before officially departing the series. Heigl also admitted to regretting the way she went about expressing her displeasure with the show’s writers — but noted the industry’s tendency to stigmatize women who express their opinions.
Regardless of the circumstances behind Katherine Heigl’s exit from Grey’s Anatomy, her character was loved by many and the fact that Izzie hasn’t been seen in the years since has been disappointing. At least Season 16 did offer closure to many fans through Alex and Izzie’s reunion — even though Izzie did not physically make an appearance.
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