Katherine Heigl is getting candid about her infamous Emmys controversy.
If you didn’t know, Katherine found herself at the center of backlash when news broke that she’d withdrawn from nomination contention for her work on Grey’s Anatomy at the 2008 Emmy Awards.
She said in a statement at the time, “I did not feel that I was given the material this season to warrant an Emmy nomination, and in an effort to maintain the integrity of the academy organization, I withdrew my name from contention. In addition, I did not want to potentially take away an opportunity from an actress who was given such materials.”
Given that Katherine had won the Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress the previous year, her move was widely considered a “snub” and a “dig” at the producers of Grey’s. Before long, it was rumored that Katherine had turned down the nomination altogether instead of simply withdrawing herself from contention for it.
Katherine faced more backlash the following year when she made a now-infamous appearance on the Late Show with David Letterman.
On the show, Katherine alleged that Grey’s Anatomy’s working conditions were poor. “Our first day back was Wednesday. It was — I'm going to keep saying this because I hope it embarrasses them — a 17-hour day, which I think is cruel and mean,” she claimed.
In 2021, Katherine opened up about the Emmys controversy. She said, “I thought I was doing the right thing. And I wanted to be clear that I wasn’t snubbing the Emmys. The night I won was the highlight of my career. I just was afraid that if I said, ‘No comment,’ it was going to come off like I couldn’t be bothered [to enter the race].”
“I could have more gracefully said that without going into a private work matter,” she added. “It was between me and the writers. I ambushed them, and it wasn’t very nice or fair.”
Now, Katherine is looking back on the drama once again.
Appearing on Shannen Doherty’s podcast, Let’s Be Clear, last week, Katherine denied the long-running rumor that she turned down the Emmy nomination.
When Shannen said, “I don’t know any person except for you that turns down an Emmy nomination,” Katherine interjected and said, “Well, I didn’t, and everybody keeps saying that. I didn’t turn it down.”
She then explained, “You know, you have to submit yourself. You have to submit your work, and then they deliberate and then they decide if they want to give you a nomination. I just didn’t submit my work that year.”
Katherine went on to admit that she regrets her initial statement about withdrawing herself from the Emmys.
“I should have said, ‘Oh, I forgot [to submit my work],’ because it created such a maelstrom that was so unnecessary, and it really was,” she said. “I was kind of trying to make a bit of a snarky point about my material that year, but I was also just not feeling my material. I didn’t think I had anything that warranted even the consideration for a nomination. I just wasn’t proud of my work.”
Katherine continued, “I would never be so bold or so arrogant to turn down a nomination. I would take that nomination if it came my way. I’d be down. But I just knew there wasn’t anything that would really warrant one that year, and I was trying to be honorable, I guess. I was trying to have some integrity. I wasn’t trying to be a dick.”