ABC Executive on Katherine Heigl Comments: "Unfortunate"
Below are excerpts from ABC Entertainment President Steve McPherson's press tour last week, as reported by Entertainment Weekly. In particular, the ABC exec responded to criticism from Katherine Heigl about Grey's Anatomy, and how it dealt with T.R. Knight.
2:18 p.m.: “[Grey's Anatomy] is a show that’s evolving,” he says, responding to a question about the departure of T.R. Knight. “We feel like Shonda Rhimes really hit her stride at the end of last year and we’re happy with what we’ve seen so far this season.”
He says we can expect more cast additions, in part to fill the void left by Ellen Pompeo “who is going to have a baby, so that’ll probably take her out for a couple of episodes.”
2:23 p.m.: Steve McPherson goes on to call Katherine Heigl’s latest anti-Grey's Anatomy tirade “unfortunate,” adding diplomatically, “People will behave in a way they choose to behave."
"There are so many people who work unbelievably hard to produce Grey’s Anatomy so I think it’s really hard for them to hear [her complain about working a 17-hour day].”
It wouldn't be Grey's Anatomy without Katherine Heigl controversy.
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August 26th, 2009 10:17 AM
I'm really disappointed that they killed off George and kept Izzie - Izzie who can't possibly be objective about anything. Izzie, a resident who did everything BUT her job. Who, when she was in intern, cut the LVat wire (or whatever it's called) to get Denny the heart. She should have been gone THEN.
But here she is, big as life and three times as difficult. For WHAT? What does she bring to the show other than being pretty? Really? She might be the deal breaker for me. I can only hope that she leaves the show at the end of this season.
August 19th, 2009 7:52 AM
i'm kind of going against the grain here
but i wish she would just shut up.
When will she learn? first she said she hadn't been given enough material by the writers and then to get a bit of attention on herself she asked to leave (but only after her best friend TR asked to be let out of his contract). Now she's moaning about the workday? she should be lucky she's even got a job.
She said that her film 'Knocked up' was sexist. She's burning so many bridges and eventually, shonda's gonna kill her off and no ones gonna want to work with her.
(how can she complain about a heavy workday when ellen pompeo is pregnant and working?)
I've finsihed ranting now lol
August 18th, 2009 6:28 AM
I totally agree with Jamie.Heigl should appreciate the hand that feeds her becaus eout here there are many jobless people who would work 20 hours non stop and don't talk like her.
August 16th, 2009 2:21 AM
You all need to get a life...
August 13th, 2009 9:44 AM
GET HER OFF OF THE SHOW. I love her character, but enough is enough. She is one of the most unappreciative professionals I have ever seen. She needs to thank the hands that feed. Obviously, it isn't just Primetime TV she is unappreciative of. She is about to find herself unemployed.
August 13th, 2009 1:48 AM
i love KH. i know what its like to work long days, i work from 9am-3am with an (almost) hour break at 530pm-625pm so i can see where KH is coming from. but im doing those hours making $10/hr so i think she can suck it up for how much shes getting paid.
August 12th, 2009 10:52 PM
*isn't
sorry typo, "...the quote isn't verbatim."
August 12th, 2009 10:50 PM
It wasn't about the joke, I'm sure it was a joke, but I think, at least for me, it was the appropriateness of it all.
Like some poster said earlier, it's one thing to bitch to your friends about having a 17-hour day: that's your support system. It's something you utilize to vent. As an employee of ABC, it's highly inappropriate to even joke about that sort of thing on national television where the rest of ABC can view it. It's not what she said, it's more a criticism of what medium she chose to express that message.
And saying it's a joke isn't some blanket get-out-of-jail free card. I'd like someone to joke about AIDS or slavery or something very controversial on air, live, nationally, and say it's okay for someone to do that. Granted, it's not as severe, but the principle applies: joking or otherwise, you have to be appropriate.
It wasn't as if Letterman was trying to corner her into a question either, she was very, unsolicitedly stated, candid about that type of comment considering everything that's going on. And again, like someone else stated, it was convenient for her to leave out the part that the 17-hour schedule was done to accomodate her promoting her movie elsewhere. The joke, conveniently, left that portion of it out and made it seem like she was the victim.
She could've told the story in a different manner, in a different set of words, "oh we've just all been putting such long hours, it's been rough, but we got through it," or something to that effect. Or if she had to make some off-the-cuff comment something like, "seriously? me acting for 17-hours? Who needs that?" That's more appropriate then saying, "I'm going to embarrass ABC and saying how I've worked 17-hours." Granted the quote is verbatim, but.. joke or otherwise, the phrasing was entirely inappropriate.
Just like you can't have department heads saying off-the-cuff comments to subordinates as it would be construed as harrassment. Why say something when you can have the same message but in a better and more appropriate way?
And btw, was it not Katherine Heigl who said to the public about IW, "He shouldn't be allowed to speak in public." His message was, I shouldn't have said, TR is not that, but instead it came off as, "TR is not a F**#*#*".
Again, it's about being appropriate.
And KH was NOT at all appropriate.
Joke all you want, but there is a time and a place.
August 12th, 2009 6:18 PM
Oh GOD, please! She cannot make any jokes without the whole world freaking out, can she? Seriously, I feel like they're checking her every word and just wait for her to say anything they can blow up into this huge story. Jeeez... I admire her that she still speaks freely, because I would have been so freaked out by now that the only thing I'd ever dare say would be "Sorry, not allowed to comment on ". But maybe that's what some so-called fans actually prefer. Or a dumb stupid smile, always chanting "It's wonderful!" I for my part like her outspoken-ness (?) and enjoy her fun personality.
August 12th, 2009 4:19 PM
I am also sick and tired of Katherine Heigl. I really appreciate the discretion of some of the other cast members such as Sandra Oh and Ellen Pompeo. She should do the same or just go.