Whatever Happened To Katherine Heigl?
Katherine Heigl may largely be associated with her years portraying Dr. Izzie Stevens on "Grey's Anatomy" — and the controversy that ensued upon her exit in 2010 — but the actress' work on television and in film goes far beyond the fictional Seattle-based hospital setting.
Before stepping into the shoes of the attending surgical oncologist, Heigl made a solid name for herself in the industry thanks to roles in films such as "My Father the Hero" and "Bride of Chucky," and series including "Roswell." However, it wasn't until "Grey's Anatomy" that Heigl was truly catapulted into the limelight.
Following her abrupt "Grey's Anatomy" departure and tension with creator Shonda Rhimes, Heigl found herself being labeled as difficult to work with in Hollywood, and her career hasn't been the easiest. Still, she managed to come out on the other side, taking on a slew of rom-com roles, landing a gig on her favorite show "Suits" and helping bring to life the realistic friendship between Tully Hart (Heigl) and Kate Mularkey (Sarah Chalke) on acclaimed Netflix show "Firefly Lane."
Read on to learn what happened to Heigl during her "Grey's Anatomy" tenure and beyond.
She took on the role of Dr. Izzie Stevens in 2005
"Grey's Anatomy," a medical drama developed by Shonda Rhimes, made its debut in 2005 on ABC. A whopping 16.25 million viewers were introduced to the medical team at Grey Sloan Memorial, including Meredith Gray (Ellen Pompeo), Dr. Derek Shepherd (Patrick Dempsey), and Dr. Izzie Stevens (Katherine Heigl).
Izzie is a talented medical professional, but she's not without flaws. In many instances, she becomes emotionally attached to people whom she shouldn't be, including patients and married men — a trait that some fans cannot tolerate. For example, in Season 3, after making snide remarks about the marriage between surgical resident George O'Malley (T.R. Knight) and head of orthopedic surgery Callie Torres (Sara Ramírez), Izzie sleeps with George.
On Reddit, u/simplycyn7 said, "Why, why, why did they make her incapable of any and all boundaries? ... I also find it SO weird that she feels entitled to demand attention and priority over someone else's WIFE. And that was before she slept with George."
Then there's Izzie's romance with heart patient Denny Duquette Jr. (Jeffrey Dean Morgan), both while he's alive and, well, not alive. After his death at the end of Season 2, Izzie begins to see Denny in Season 5, a hallucination caused by an undiagnosed brain tumor. She and Ghost Denny are even intimate with each other. This storyline has been hailed by some as their least favorite out of the show's 20-plus seasons.
Her family expanded
In 2009, two years after tying the knot with country musician Josh Kelley, Katherine Heigl expanded her family with the adoption of 10-month-old Naleigh from Korea. According to Heigl, after growing up with her older adopted sister Meg, who hails from South Korea, she always knew that she wanted to follow in her parents' footsteps.
"About six months after meeting my now-husband, I was like, 'I'd better get a few things straight now: marriage and having a family are both really important to me; starting a family with adoption is also really important to me. If those things don't speak to you, we should part ways,'" Heigl said in an interview with Red (via People). "Luckily, he was like, 'I'm down with that!'"
Upon holding Naleigh for the first time, Heigl instantly felt her maternal instincts kick in. She knew that, even though Naleigh didn't come from her own body, this little girl was hers. Heigl and Kelley have since grown their household by two more. In 2012, they domestically adopted a newborn girl named Adalaide Marie Hope. Then, in 2017, Heigl gave birth to her first son Joshua Bishop. At the time she wasn't sure pregnancy was possible, given her age of 38, and was open to another adoption or fostering. "Turns out it was very much in the cards!" she said (via People).
Heigl left Grey's Anatomy to focus on motherhood
In 2010, after over five seasons and 120 episodes, Katherine Heigl decided to say goodbye to Dr. Izzie Stevens and "Grey's Anatomy." Her departure came in the middle of Season 6, leaving writers allegedly scrambling to concoct a last-minute storyline around the character.
As a new parent, Heigl's priorities had drastically shifted. She no longer had a desire to work long days on set, which she said could sometimes stretch to 17 hours – a claim backed up by co-star Ellen Pompeo. All of it was taking a toll on her mental health, and she wanted out. "I was up here in my head, in my gut, in my mind, in my life. I was just vibrating at way too high of a level of anxiety," she told Vanity Fair. "For me, it's all a bit of a blur, and it took me years to learn how to deal with that, to master it."
Things were put into perspective when Heigl went on family leave and got to experience normal life as a first-time mother. Heigl stressed to The Daily Telegraph that she did inform Shonda Rhimes and the "Grey's Anatomy" team of her impending departure, rather than spontaneously decide not to show up for work anymore: "Then I waited at home until I was given the formal OK that I was off the show. The rumors that I refused to return were totally untrue."
She earned a reputation for being difficult
Parting ways with "Grey's Anatomy" wasn't the only action of Katherine Heigl's that caused tension between her and the showrunners. Two years before her departure, and one year after winning an Emmy for her work as Dr. Izzie Stevens, Heigl declined to be nominated again in 2008. She said in a statement (via Entertainment Weekly): "I did not feel that I was given the material this season to warrant an Emmy nomination ... I did not want to potentially take away an opportunity from an actress who was given such materials."
Heigl didn't expect any backlash from this, however, she certainly got her share of it. Not only was Heigl starting to be seen as difficult to work with in Hollywood, but she also upset "Grey's Anatomy" creator Shonda Rhimes. In an interview with Oprah Winfrey (via Nicki Swift), Rhimes said, "On some level, it stung, and on some level, I was not surprised. When people say who they are, believe them."
Plus, this wasn't the first time that Heigl was publicly critical of creators. The same year, on the heels of her success in the 2007 Judd Apatow comedy "Knocked Up," she critiqued the film's portrayal of women in an interview with Vanity Fair: "It was a little sexist. It paints the women as shrews, as humorless and uptight, and it paints the men as loveable, goofy, fun-loving guys."
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Comedies brought her back
After stepping away from "Grey's Anatomy," Katherine Heigl returned to the thing that — aside from the medical drama — she was best known for. In just a few years, she appeared in several lighthearted comedies, including 2010's "Killers" and "Life As We Know It," 2011's "New Year's Eve" and 2012's "One for the Money." Regarding the latter — which was based on the novel by Janet Evanovich — Heigl became so invested in her role of divorcee-turned-bounty-hunter Stephanie Plum, that she became a brunette to bear a stronger resemblance to how the character is described in the book.
In an interview with Showbiz Junkies, Heigl shared details on her love for comedies and why she didn't see herself taking on more serious roles anytime soon. "My life has been complicated enough," she said. "I really enjoy comedies. I really love romantic comedies. I know that I'm beating it to death, but it's just so fun for me. And there's nothing like being on the set of a romantic comedy because everybody there is sort of there to have a fun experience and to create a fun experience for the audience, so it inevitably influences how you feel day to day."
She did her first voiceover work in The Nut Job
In 2014, Katherine Heigl added voiceover work to her résumé, appearing in "The Nut Job." This animated family film focuses on the exiled squirrel, Surly (Will Arnett), who is trying to help his former friends survive by stealing from the nearby nut store. Heigl voices Andie, a fierce female squirrel, in a cast that also includes Brendan Fraser, Liam Neeson, Stephen Lang, and Maya Rudolph.
Heigl said of her character in an interview with ScreenSlam, "She's pretty tough. She feels like one of the guys in a way. She's not a damsel in distress. She's not sitting back hoping some guy will save her. She's really getting in there and thinks she can get the job done herself better than the boys. She's sort of the voice of reason. She's a little more practical than the others."
Her first experience in the world of animation was an enjoyable one, and Heigl said in an interview with AMC Theatres that she would've happily watched the finished product of "The Nut Job" as a childless adult, but having her kids next to her made it more fun, remarking, "Now it feels more legitimate."
Heigl returned to television for the short-lived State of Affairs
When "One for the Money" came out in 2012, Katherine Heigl was adamant at the time that she wanted to stick with comedies because her life was complicated enough. However, in 2014, a dramatic role came her way that she simply couldn't pass up. On the NBC series "State of Affairs," she portrays Charleston Tucker, a CIA officer and daily briefer for President Constance Payton (Alfre Woodard).
Heigl told Today that she enjoyed how "State of Affairs" looks at the CIA from a perspective rarely depicted on screen: "They have to sift through tons and tons and tons of intelligence to narrow down the most critical threats and what's real and what's not, and what's just chatter and what's actionable."
She also appreciated how the show doesn't make a big fuss over the fact that the president and daily briefer are women: "They're there because they're exceptionally good at what they do that they have earned this place, and it's not about them using their feminine wiles or whatnot to get there."
Unfortunately for Heigl, "State of Affairs" was canceled by NBC after one season due to low ratings.
She played a calculating ex in Unforgettable
Following her serious stint in "State of Affairs," Katherine Heigl continued to step away from comedy and take on more challenging roles. For example, in the 2017 drama "Unforgettable," she takes on the part of Tessa Connover, the ex of David Connover (Geoff Stults) who is determined to ruin his new relationship with Julia Banks (Rosario Dawson).
"It would be challenging, totally different for me," Heigl told Made in Hollywood. "I've done some creepy characters in the past ... But I hadn't done it in a long time, and I had been playing sort of the goofy, neurotic, fun-loving gal for a while and I just thought, 'I wanna dive into this woman's mind.'" A hard pivot from people-pleaser Jane in 2008's "27 Dresses," Heigl told Good Morning America that she loved the freedom that came with playing a character who only cares about herself and what she wants: "It's all about Tessa."
Still, Heigl stressed that Tessa isn't a one-dimensional villain, and if she was, Heigl likely wouldn't have been able to play her. The actress told FilmIsNow that she could feel some sympathy for Tessa, who, in "Unforgettable," is feeling intense heartbreak and fears ending up alone. Ultimately, Tessa is a complicated and damaged woman who is experiencing something relatable to the masses. "It's just that she goes a little too far with it," said Heigl.
She was in another short-lived TV series
The same year that "Unforgettable" was released, Katherine Heigl returned to television once more as Sadie Ellis, a defense lawyer who takes a romantic interest in a client who might be guilty of murder, on the CBS drama "Doubt." The show boasts a strong ensemble, including Dulé Hill, Laverne Cox and more.
For Heigl, creating these 13 episodes was quite the challenge, as she was pregnant with son Joshua throughout the entire duration of filming. In fact, production wrapped up only two weeks before she gave birth. Heigl told Access Hollywood, "By that point, I was pretty tired. My feet were the size of cantaloupes. I was trying to look not pregnant."
"Doubt" was canceled after two episodes aired, due to low ratings, and it was unclear if the remaining 11 episodes would be seen by audiences at all. However, the rest of the season was shown by CBS later in 2017.
She landed a part in one of her favorite shows
Following her lengthy stint on "Grey's Anatomy," Katherine Heigl didn't have the best luck with her subsequent television projects. That is, until she joined the cast of "Suits" in 2018 for 26 episodes as ruthless attorney Samantha Wheeler. Despite being confident on-screen, Heigl — a massive fan of "Suits" — was nervous. "My biggest fear was coming on and ruining my favorite show by being on it," she told ET. "Like, oh my gosh, am I just gonna completely screw this whole thing that I really like already? But it was too exciting to get to play in a world that I have just been in love with for so many years."
According to Heigl, her journey to becoming Samantha was all by chance. During a meeting with "Suits" creator Aaron Korsh to discuss some shows that Heigl was writing, he revealed that an eighth season of the hit show was being made. "I was like, 'Do you need anybody 'cause I'm available!'," said Heigl. Though she initially thought she'd serve as a guest star on an episode or two, Korsh gave her an entire arc during Season 8.
In an interview with Harper's Bazaar, Heigl praised Korsh for his decision to have Samantha be seen kickboxing in her very first "Suits" scene. Immediately, audiences know that this character isn't one to be messed with: "She is not a delicate flower, and she is not hiding her aggression or her fierceness."
Heigl tugged at heartstrings in Firefly Lane
For two seasons, from 2021 to 2023, Katherine Heigl shared the screen with Sarah Chalke in the Netflix series "Firefly Lane." The pair portray Tully Hart and Kate Mularkey, respectively, in the show that chronicles the highs and lows of friendship throughout various stages of life. "Firefly Lane" received rave reviews, with audiences hailing it as charming, beautiful, and emotional.
In an interview with People, Heigl shared her thoughts on why the show resonated so strongly with the masses. She said, "It's not some fairy tale version of female friendship." Heigl added, "Watching them love each other and struggle with each other, and then have all these fabulous memories and moments and time together, I think it speaks to all of us."
While bringing the friendship of Tully and Kate to life, Heigl and Chalke formed a close bond of their own — something that Heigl said doesn't always happen on sets. "There's just something about these two women, this particular story, Sarah as a human being and my love for the characters," Heigl told Forbes.
Her family moved to Utah
Over the years — especially on the heels of her controversial exit from "Grey's Anatomy" — Katherine Heigl didn't have the easiest time navigating Hollywood. Though she wanted to continue her career as an actress, she realized that living in the hub of entertainment simply wasn't for her.
To escape from the hustle and bustle of the industry, she and her husband Josh Kelley built a few homes in Utah, intending for them to be used as vacation getaways. However, as they spent more time enjoying small-town life, Kelley realized that a permanent move should be made. Heigl was on board and said she feels more in tune with her kids' lives now.
"It's a smaller town, I know who your friends are, who you are spending time with. I know what's up at school," she told Fox News. "It's just easier to keep my finger on the pulse."
She's an animal advocate
As the owner of seven dogs and three cats, Katherine Heigl is certainly an animal lover. In fact, she owns and operates the pet food nutrition brand Badlands Ranch. According to the company, Badlands Ranch Superfood Complete promotes immune, digestive and skin health, and has sold more than 3 million bags.
Along with the Jason Debus Heigl Foundation, launched by Heigl's mother in memory of her brother who died in a car accident, Badlands Ranch aims to shed light on how millions of healthy pets are euthanized annually in shelters across the country.
"The foundation and the food is all about trying to fund these programs to help this problem, which ... [is] solvable. It's a solvable problem," Heigl told Today. "It's not about just how much you can donate. It's just about being aware and whatever small thing you can do to contribute to the solution. And it feels good to know that there could be a solution."