Shonda Rhimes is one of the most powerful women on television. Katherine Heigl, after a burst in the movie realm, is back on television. So, does that mean we’ll get to see the women combine forces again someday? No. We will not ever see the two of them work together again because Shonda Rhimes has a “no assholes” policy, and Katherine Heigl is apparently queen of the assholes.
Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, Shonda Rhimes opened up about all the bullshit she dealt with on the set of Grey’s Anatomy. From Katherine Heigl publicly removing her name from Emmy consideration because she wasn’t happy with the material to her waffling between going or staying, the whole thing was a mess and caused her to change the types of people she wanted to work with.
"I don’t put up with bullshit or nasty people. I don’t have time for it."
It got so bad at one point that she and the producers set aside a case of champagne, vowing to only drink a bottle after each time they overcame a new PR crisis or horrifying day on set. They went through the entire thing in three weeks. Soon, Rhimes became so annoyed and frustrated, she conceived a show about a crisis management expert and Scandal was born, a show which Katherine Heigl will never be asked to appear on. Because it actually runs smoothly.
This is a real quote…
”There are no Heigls in this situation.”
There have been rumors for years about Katherine Heigl being hard to deal with. From calling her breakout movie role in Knocked Up kind of sexist to aggressively defending her reputation, she’s made more than her share of headlines for viewpoint and behavior-related issues. Not a ton of people have talked on the record about these alleged problems, however, at least until now. Fortunately for Shonda Rhimes, she is in an incredible position of power, and she can basically say whatever she wants without getting people too riled up.
It seems unlikely Katherine Heigl will fire back. No real good can come from that, but if she does, we’ll be sure to bring you her words. Until then, judge the former Grey’s Anatomy star however you will. She’s far from the only person in Hollywood to be called difficult, but then again, her former boss doesn’t exactly make it a habit of throwing up middle fingers.
The Blunt Reason Why Shonda Rhimes Hates Katherine Heigl’s Guts