December 12, 2025
Katherine Heigl reportedly almost stopped the release of her candid Actors on Actors conversation with Ellen Pompeo.
Reportedly, Heigl feared she had shared too much about her past controversies.
During a recent episode of the Viall Files podcast, Variety Editor-at-Large Kate Aurthur recalled that Heigl went into 'full panic mode' after filming the 2023 sit-down with her former Grey's Anatomy costar.
“Katherine Heigl really went there and then was in a huge panic afterwards that she’d said too much,” Aurthur explained in December 11 episode about her 2023 interview.
Aurther admitted that 47-year-old's manager even considered blocking the footage from being released.
“Her manager freaked out. She was maybe not going to release the footage,” the journalist further shared.
“I was out there. She was there crying.”
Aurthur remembered assuring The Ugly Truth alum that 'the world has changed'.
She recalled telling Heigl, “You were right most of the time. People now understand that.”
Aurthur added, “I was like, ‘It’s going to be great,’ and then it was great. Her husband was the one who had come with her. It was great. Then her manager was like, ‘You are right,’ when it came out.”
Widely known as Dr. Izzie Steven has long been labelled 'difficult' in Hollywood.
She previously publicly criticized the show's writing, and also withdrew her name from Emmy consideration in 2008.
In the chat with Eric Dane's former costar, she revisited those years with striking honesty.
She also confessed that the backlash left her anxious and questioning whether she was a 'bad' person.