Katherine Heigl and T.R. Knight have made no secret about their discontent on Grey’s Anatomy but the onslaught of rumors about who’s leaving and who’s staying on the ABC medical drama have been so conflicting that it’s difficult to keep track of what’s real and what’s not. And while network executives remain mum on the controversy, all indications are that this will happen. Adding more confirmation is co-star James Pickens Jr., who revealed to Us Weekly that both actors will soon be taking off their scrubs for good.
“Yes, she is,” Pickens, who plays Dr. Richard Webber on Grey’s Anatomy, told Us Weekly when asked if Heigl is leaving the ABC hospital drama. “Wherever Katherine goes, I wish her nothing but the best.”
As for Knight, Pickens confirms that “he’s going too.”
“He just wanted to pursue other career paths,” Pickens said at the NAACP Awards luncheon in Beverly Hills.
Heigl, who plays Izzie Stevens, has been trying to wiggle her way out of Grey’s Anatomy for the past two years, even complaining about storylines in the past and holding the show’s writers responsible for her lack of an Emmy nomination last year. On the other hand, Knight, who portrays George O’Malley, has publicly complained about his lack of screen time and has reportedly asked producers last fall about making an early exit.
According to Us Weekly’s source, Knight has already had several discussions with series creator and executive producer Shonda Rhimes, and that the “writers are scrambling to find a believable exit for George, one that would leave the door open for him to come back someday.”
Last month, ABC entertainment exec Stephen McPherson told TV critics that Knight would return next season, although he didn’t say in what capacity that would be. As of this moment, Heigl and Knight have yet to confirm their departures.
Meanwhile, a well-placed ABC source tells E! that “there’s no way [Pickens] could know that, because nothing has been decided yet. Nothing has been written and [Heigl and Knight] are still working out what will happen next season with the network.”
Kris De Leon, BuddyTV Staff Columnist
Source: Us Weekly, NY Post, E!
(Image courtesy of ABC)
Staff Writer, BuddyTV
