Katherine Heigl Reunites With ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Castmates at Emmys

Chandra Wilson, Justin Chambers, Ellen Pompeo, Katherine Heigl and James Pickens speak onstage during the 75th Primetime Emmy Awards at Peacock Theater on January 15, 2024 in Los Angeles, California.
Emmys
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The 75th Emmys on Monday, January 15, included an eagerly-awaited reunion of beloved Grey’s Anatomy cast members Ellen Pompeo, Katherine Heigl, Justin Chambers, James Pickens Jr., and Chandra Wilson.

The host of the show, Anthony Anderson, began the sequence by recounting his mother, Mama Doris, and her love for medical dramas, especially Grey’s Anatomy. Then, the cast walked into the mock medical room in full red carpet regalia.

“When the first episode of Grey’s Anatomy aired in March of 2005, I’m not sure if Shonda Rhimes knew that she had created a show that would have a lasting imprint on television and create lifelong friendships,” Pompeo said to the audience.

They all spoke on the impact of the series, with Heigl cheekily mentioning how much things have changed since the show’s inception, a nod to her shifting away from the series.

“And yes, there have been changes over the years,” Heigl added, smiling coyly at the camera. “But the one constant is the amazing fanbase.”

The cast then gave thanks to the fans before Heigl presented the Best Supporting Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie.

Paul Walter Hauser won for Black Bird, and once he accepted, he told the cast, “My wife loves your show!”

Los Angeles, CA - January 15: The cast of Grey's Anatomy at the 75th Primetime Emmy Awards at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, CA, Monday, Jan. 15, 2024.

Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

Check out the opening introduction below.

Heigl won an Emmy in 2017 for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for her role as Izzie Stevens on Grey’s Anatomy.  Eventually, Heigl left the ABC medical drama series (to much controversy) after Season 6.

Other reunions at the Emmys included Martin Lawrence, Tisha Campbell, Tichina Arnold, and Carl Anthony Payne III from Martin, and Calista Flockhart, Greg Germann, and Peter MacNicol from Ally McBeal, and a reunion with the cast of Cheers.

Emmy Awards executive producer Jeannae Rouzan-Clay teased the reunions ahead of time. “I think they’ll be talking about the ones that they may see on the screen,” Rouzan-Clay said of reunions. “Those are going to be a big talking point, a big watercooler moment, if you will. … It was a grand task to figure out how to celebrate 75 years of television. If we can bring some nostalgia to that stage, then I think that we’ve done a good deed.”