Summary

• Izzie's departure from Grey's Anatomy in season 6 was abrupt, leaving viewers with unanswered questions about her character's storylines.
• The reasons for Izzie's exit seem to be more tied to Katherine Heigl than her character, as Heigl had a complicated working relationship with co-stars and showrunners.
• There is a possibility of Izzie returning to Grey's Anatomy in the future, as Katherine Heigl is open to tying up her character's arc and providing closure for fans.

Though she's known for comedy thanks to movies like Knocked Up, Katherine Heigl also starred in medical drama Grey’s Anatomy as Izzie Stevens from 2005 to 2010 — and many viewers were surprised when Izzie abruptly left Grey's Anatomy in season 6. The exit was especially a shock given that Katherine Heigl received significant acclaim for playing Izzie on Grey's Anatomy, including winning a Primetime Emmy in 2007. Izzies story arcs, especially her marriage with Alex and her brain tumors, were gaining significant momentum, too. Both are reasons that Izzie leaving Grey's Anatomy in season 6 still creates questions.

Grey’s Anatomy has seen many characters leave, whether because cast members choose to leave or the showrunners feel their character no longer adds anything to the show. Anytime a character exits, it’s always a question of whether it was planned. Many viewers have wondered why Izzie left Grey's Anatomy in season 6 because the character's exit felt too abrupt to have been the long-term endgame for her. The fact that Katherine Heigl has an often complicated and sometimes controversial working relationship with co-stars on multiple projects also fueled speculation that Izzie was written out of Grey's Anatomy for behind-the-scenes reasons.

Why Izzie Left Grey's Anatomy

The Narrative Reasons For Izzie's Grey's Anatomy Departure Explained

While Izzie leaving Grey's Anatomy in season 6 felt sudden, the show had been buillding toward an off-ramp for Katherine Heigl a while. In Grey's Anatomy season 5, Izzie was diagnosed with cancer, and after complicated treatment and surgery to remove a brain tumor (performed by Derek Shepherd), she recovered — or so it initially seemed.

In truth, her surgical ability and short-term memory were significantly impaired despite the procedure being successful. Izzie went back to work but was fired after giving the wrong dosage of medicine to a patient. On top of this, her marriage to Alex was starting to collapse. From then on, everything went downhill for Katherine Heigl's Grey's Anatomy character, and her appearances in the show became sporadic.

Izzie left Seattle to start a new life and later sent divorce papers to Alex Karev. Izzie’s arc came to a full, proper end when Alex also controversially left Grey's Anatomy, as it was revealed that he left his partner, Jo, and Seattle to get back with Izzie. She is now working as a surgical oncologist and has twins, who are also Alex’s. While Izzie appeared in a sequence in Grey's Anatomy season 16's "Leave a Light On" in 2020, this was a body double and not Katherine Heigl.

Katherine Heigl's Feud With Shonda Rhimes

The Real Life Reasons For Heigl's Exit From Grey's Anatomy

While Izzie's narrative came to a close, the reasons she left Grey's Anatomy do seem to be tied more to Katherin Heigl than her character. In 2008, Katherine Heigl declined to put her name forward for Emmy consideration, stating she hadn’t been given enough material to warrant a nomination. Although she later tried to explain her words, the damage was already done.

Though Heigl apologized to Rhimes, the showrunner told Oprah Winfrey (via TV Guide) that “When people show you who they are, believe them.” After that, rumors about the writers of Grey’s Anatomy planning to kill Izzie began to emerge. The cancer storyline came a couple of seasons later. In 2009, Heigl requested to be released from her contract 18 months early, explaining she wanted to spend more time with her family and that it wasn’t respectful to fans of the series to see Izzie come and go.

In terms of Izzie leaving Grey's Anatomy, there were murmurs that Heigl was an unpleasant coworker. Rhimes once referred to her when talking to The Hollywood Reporter, saying that on Scandal there were “no Heigls,” and she now refuses to work with “nasty people.” Katherine Heigl has a reputation as a difficult person to work with, which is likely why she hasn’t appeared in many big projects since Grey’s Anatomy. The way Izzie’s departure was handled was strange, as she wasn’t given proper closure until many seasons later, and just as a device to give another character an ending.

Izzie Could Return In The Future

Katherine Heigl Is Open To A Return

It has been years since Heigl left Grey’s Anatomy and time seems to have healed some wounds. Rhimes said she’s, "Open to seeing Izzie again," which is a more open gesture to Heigl than she has ever made. Katherine Heigl could return as Izzie, as the actor stated she would be interested in tying up her character’s arc. Several Grey’s Anatomy characters could return for season 20, and Izzie could certainly be among them, finally giving fans an insight into how Izzie’s departure changed her character.

The return of Izzie would also provide a welcome meta-commentary on Heigl herself. Since she has been mostly out of the spotlight, save for Firefly Lane on Netflix, seeing Heigl back on-screen would be a fulfilling sign of how the actor has matured over the years. Izzie leaving Grey's Anatomy is something that fans and Heigl herself have probably wrestled with over the years and seeing her return to the show would bring closure to everyone associated with the series.