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On tonight’s Oprah’s Next Chapter, TV showrunner Shonda Rhimes reveals how she felt when former Grey’s Anatomy reguler Katherine Heigl said in 2008 she wanted her name taken out of Emmy consideration because she hadn’t been “given the material to warrant a nomination” in the show’s writing. Winfrey asks Rhimes, who also created Private Practice and Scandal, how that made her feel. “On some level it stung, and on some level I was not surprised,” the Grey‘s head writer, tells Oprah in a teaser for the interview (watch it below). “When people show you who they are, believe them. I carry that with me a lot. It has served me well.”
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If shes still going on about it after 5 years, then it must have stung.
She was asked a question and gave an honest, brief and tasteful answer. The clip isn’t that long – you should watch it
‘going on about it’? She was asked about it and she answered.
Not that I’m a fan of Heigl’s — but how is telling the truth a “diss.” The writing wasn’t Emmy worthy — that was a true statement. Particularly of her character that season.
I mean, we all have egos as writers/ creators, but you have to be able to recognize when your work is at one level and not another. Do we think the writers of Nikita are throwing fits and getting “stung” when they don’t get nominated? Doubtful, cuz they hopefully know that what they’re doing might be entertaining, but it ain’t winning Emmys. Nothing wrong with admitting that.
Shonda Rhimes did not “have a fit” or become “stung” when her material wasn’t nominated. She is specifically referring to what her ACTOR came out and said in the press. That is a VERY different thing.
Shonda Rhimes’ words made Katherine Heigl a star. Period. Ever heard “don’t bite the hand that feeds you”? More importantly, there is a level of respect you give those who you work for. It doesn’t matter if it was the worst writing on the face of the earth, everything Heigl has or is today can be credited to Rhimes. To bash her in the public media is bad form.
That (not wanting to be nominated) is a conversation that needed to be had in private and Heigl’s people should not have put her name in contention. Because it’s not like they just throw you an emmy. Your reps put your name in for consideration. So the whole thing is disingenuous and disrespectful. Rhimes has a right to be salty. But, with three shows on the air, and Heigl’s name slowly falling to the realm of the inconsequential and irrelevant, I’d say Shonda’s won this all day long.
I always thought it was Bride of Chucky that made her a star. It was Grey’s that made her a diva.
On second thought, Bride of Chucky was awful. How did she survive that atrocity? That’s the real story.
if thats the truth, then why can’t katherine heigl say it.
if she wants her name off emmy because she hates the writing, that is her own free will.
besides it really is the truth, greys anatomy is one horribly written soap opera for women who have got nothing better to do.
if robert pattison got nominated for a golden globe, he also has the right to say he wants his name off because he felt like the writing doesnt deserve it.
Black Chick is right. Heigl showed no class or appreciation of what put her where she was and hey, where is she now? Oh right, spewing badly written dialogue in her shrill manner while wearing a push-up bra and heels instead of scrubs. I don’t even watch the show but I know it could not be worse than One For the Money.
The part that confounds me most is how that girl gets paid to act in the first place. Who the f*#^ are her fans? Honey Boo Boo and fam?
I loved Heigl in the Roswell TV show. She was already going to be a star, regardless of Shonda.
yes yes yes!
Yeah but., I understand your point of view, but their is a way to be classy about not submitting your name for Emmy consideration. I believe less is more, especially in Hollyweird. And, now Katherine Heigl is paying a price for her actions – this is not the first time she has been painfully outspoken. Remember, foolishly, she trashed talked Knocked-Up, a film that helped establish her film career. She is no longer in demand as a film actress ( I don’t read about her on Deadline) . Trust me, in the next year or two, she is going right back to network tv.
Sounds like Heigl or her pals have invaded this thread to stick up for their buddy.
The reason Rimes is “still going on about it after 5 years” is because Oprah just asked her about it. She hasn’t said a word about Heigl since she left. Sheesh, if you can’t keep up then don’t get in on the conversation.
As for the “material,” Shondra has 3 hot series on now, and Heigl’s name meanwhile has become synonymous with mediocrity and box-office duds. When you’re on one of the hottest shows on TV but complain about the writing people in the industry notice, and they don’t want to work with someone who is so willing to break one of the most sacred rules in entertainment: don’t shit on the other people helping put out the product, especially if it’s making money.
And if Heigl was so telling “the truth,” why hasn’t she found material that would finally get her some awards or even make her a household name yet? So far she’s still making rom-coms that nobody wants to see. Guess she thought Judd Apatow would save her.
If you’re going to cheerlead Heigl’s camp then at least do the bare minimum of not reinventing the past.
Wow, you managed to incorrectly spell both the first and the last name of Shonda Rhimes . Well played!
Rhimes will be working for years to come. Heigl…..not so much.
I agree, she was telling the truth, but you don’t say that out loud about your employer for heaven’s sake. What KH did wasn’t necessary, but at least it was honest.
Understand that she was stung because of the way Heigl went public with her dissatisfaction, not because of it. Was what heigl complaining about true? Perhaps. Did she display it in a way that harmed or humiliated her writers? Yes. There is a respectfull way of being honest. Heigl seems so intelligent, yet dumb at the same time. Or consider that she is not dumb at all but arrrogant enough to believe that her opinion is more important than those of her peers.
I found it hard to disagree with Heigl then and I still think that so maybe the problem is Rhimes just doesn’t like it when one of her cast speak the truth about her writing?
Or maybe she just has some different ideas looking back to the quality of her writing than others, even after 5 years has passed since she got ‘stung’.
How do you think Heigl would like it if Rhimes suggested the Emmys not nominate Heigl because her acting wasn’t worthy? And she’d be right, too.
Yeah but… :
Nikita actually has been nominated for an Emmy… so there!
If you have ever actually listened to the dialogue that Rhimes has written, well, you would see Heilg’s problem. And ‘Scandal’ is even worse.
Shonda Rhimes is one of the best writers in the business. She is the new Bocho, Wells, Kelly, Spelling. She has surpassed them all. Congrats, she deserves everything coming her way. From all the writers and women in the business. You are the best. Keep being the best. We are all rooting for you. The rest… just want to be you.
Yes but she crafted a statement whose sole purpose seemed to publicly ding Shonda and writers- the same people who gave her material that won her an Emmy just a year prior. She could have used it as an opportunity to be gracious and say “I’m taking myself out of running because I was fortunate to win and want to give another person an opportunity, maybe even my deserving co stars”. It’s a huge chutzpah and major disrespect to her entire cast and crew, especially since she’s the only regular to win from GA. I don’t understand this BS defense that “she’s telling the truth”. She wasn’t interviewed. SHE CRAFTED A STATEMENT
It’s doubtful Shondra asked to have this subject brought up so she could “stiill go on about it”. She was answering a question.
Word is Heigl has asked to return to the show, sez she wants to know where her charcter is now.
Comparing the work of Shonda to Nikita is insulting.
Call it like it is. The girl from My Father the Hero grew a big attitude. Then her movies bombed and she came crawling back.
End of story.
Whether Heigl’s statements are true is irrelevant (and there’s no way of proving their truth, because quality is subjective). She trashed her colleagues’ work in the press. That is a low-class move. I remember earlier in my career, a jealous colleague told our HR department in her exit interview about how I was unqualified for my position (she was upset because she didn’t receive a similar promotion). I’ve never, ever forgotten it
Heigl vs Shonda is like Alien vs Predator – whoever wins, we lose.
Genius
Heigl was right, to make Izzie and George happens was a crime. Shitty television at its worst.
The elephant in the room about Heigl vs Shonda is Isaiah Washington.
After Isaiah was forced to leave GA, the writers SUDDENLY made Heigl’s character a crazy slut, culminating with a crush on George (T. R. Knight) no less! Heigl and Knight were obviously uncomfortable with the direction of their characters and probably the way they were treated in the set.
Yes, Heigl made the foolish mistake to air out her dissatisfaction in an attempt to influence her character’s arc. But don’t be naive to think this was simply an act of a spoiled and ungrateful actress. Just look at the way George was written out of GA and how Knight was treated after GA. Regardless, Hollywood is run by cliques. What is done is done.
The elephant in the room is that Heigl threw Apatow and the cast of Knock Up under the bus also. You would think being so judgmental that she would actual star in better movies.
I think you are hinting at this being racially motivated and I think I’d disagree. They both did a lot of complaining. Now they are both on the skids. Truth is many are called and few are chosen. Nobody can afford to be a pain in the ass because someone else would gladly take the job. Show up, be gracious and go home.
Shonda was asked a question and she gave an honest answer. Heigl needs to learn the people we meet on the way up you might need them on your way down.
If it wasn’t for Shonda Rhimes Katherine Heigl would NOT be a star would NOT have gotten the movie roles she did get due to Grey’s Anatomy. Heigl definitely has a bad attitude and her comment about pulling her name from Emmy consideration comes across as a diva bitch attitude. Heigl basically put down the Grey’s Anatomy writing staff and dissed the show.
Heigl belongs on Lifetime, not in cineplexes. It’s only a matter of time now…
If Hiegl had just publically attacked the creatives on Greys then you could chalk that up to a dumb mistake but she also attacked the creatives on her mega hit movie Knocked Up. Now the phoniness of hollywood stars can get annoying so I welcome some truth telling but Hiegl just seemed relish dumping on the people who made her millions of bucks to make herself feel above everything and I find that stupid and rude. She smiled in the creatives faces while stabbing them in the back and that’s why her career is in awful shape.
Heigl killed her career after making those statements about GA. GA was one of the biggest series on TV that had a huge female demographic watching week after week. When Heigl went to the press to bad mouth the show not only did it make her look stupid and ungrateful but it put a bad taste in the mouths of the audience who supported her. She hasn’t had a hit movie or show since. Heigl comes off extremely unlikeable and its no wonder that nobody wants to see her in anything anymore.
Katherine Heigl suffers from the Christina Aguilera syndrome. Both are talented in there respected art forms but come off so unlikeable that the audience just doesn’t want to support anything they do.
The show has always been a joke. Heigel was just speaking the truth.