The Showrunner Claims Katherine Heigl Never Showed Up for Her Farewell Episode

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Natasha Reda
Sun, November 15, 2020, 12:15 PM PST

Grey's Anatomy showrunner Krista Vernoff shared some new details regarding Katherine Heigl's exit and why she never received a proper send-off like so many other characters.

It turns out, the long-running medical drama series had plans to give the actor, who portrayed Dr. Izzie Stevens for almost six seasons from 2005 to 2010, a farewell episode. However, Heigl allegedly just never showed up to film it.

"We had planned to have her come back for an episode to really properly tie up Izzie and Alex," Vernoff told the Los Angeles Times in a new interview published on November 13. “I wrote that episode, and it was beautiful. The day before it was supposed to start prepping or shooting, I can’t remember, we got a call that Katie wasn’t coming. Just wasn’t coming. Wasn’t going to do it."

"I don’t know what was happening in her life," Vernoff added. "I don’t know what led to that decision. All I know is that the night before a thing is supposed to start shooting that is entirely centered on one character and the completion of her story arc, I got a phone call that she wasn’t coming to do it."

However, sources close to Heigl told Entertainment Weekly that Vernoff's side of the story isn't accurate. "Krista is mistaken," the insider claimed. "Katherine was back in LA after parental leave (when she adopted her daughter) waiting to be called to set."

Of course, Izzie's storyline was eventually resolved in Season 16, nearly 10 years after Heigl left the show. Though she didn't make an appearance, she helped tie up Alex Karev's storyline after Justin Chambers’ own departure from the series in March 2020. Following his final episode, the writers revealed that the former lovers reunited and share children together.

Given Vernoff's account of events and Heigl's alleged reaction, it's probably safe to assume she won't be returning to Grey's Anatomy any time soon. However, fans can expect to see more of Derek “McDreamy” Shepard since Patrick Dempsey is set to appear at least "three more times."

Katherine Heigl and Grey's Anatomy boss are in a dispute over her scrapped farewell episode

Showrunner Krista Vernoff recently told the Los Angeles Times that she penned a farewell episode for Heigl's Izzie Stevens, but the actress failed to show up for work. “We had planned to have her come back for an episode to really properly tie up Izzie and Alex,” Vernoff said. “I wrote that episode, and it was beautiful. The day before it was supposed to start prepping or shooting, I can’t remember, we got a call that Katie wasn’t coming. Just wasn’t coming. Wasn’t going to do it.” Sources close to Heigl, however, tell Entertainment Weekly that "this account isn’t true. Krista is mistaken. Katherine was back in LA after parental leave (when she adopted her daughter) waiting to be called to set." ALSO: Camilla Luddington claps back at criticism over wearing KN95 on Grey's Anatomy.