It’s been over a decade since Grey’s Anatomy fans saw Izzie, but that doesn’t mean that fans have forgotten about Katherine Heigl’s time on the series.
“I felt very protective of Izzie,” Heigl told USA Today in 2010. “I really loved her. I felt she was an admirable woman who certainly made mistakes. But I was starting to not like her, and that bothered me.”
The Firefly Lane star appeared as Izzie Stevens on more than 100 episodes of the ABC medical drama, but she left the series halfway through shooting season 6 in 2010. Her departure came after Heigl publicly feuded with creator Shonda Rhimes.
Krista Vernoff, who worked on seasons 1 through 7 of Grey’s before returning as the showrunner for season 14, told the Los Angeles Times in November 2020 that “there was a resolution to Izzie’s story,” but they “got a call that Katie wasn’t coming” to shoot the episode.
After the L.A. Times‘ profile was published, however, sources close to Heigl told Us Weekly that Vernoff was “mistaken” when it came to the actress’ exit from the series. “Katherine was back in L.A. after parental leave [when she adopted her daughter] waiting to be called to set,” the insider said.
Grey’s star Justin Chambers quietly left the show during season 16, and fans learned that his character Alex reunited with Izzie, who secretly had their twins, offscreen in Kansas.
Scroll through for the most telling quotes from Heigl about Izzie, behind-the-scenes drama and more: