The 2019 listicle that sorted Grey’s Anatomy cast members into “total jerks” and “sweethearts” is a collection of labels, anecdotes, and rumors. Only a small part of it matches contemporaneous reporting. The best-documented material concerns the 2007 controversy involving Isaiah Washington and T.R. Knight, Washington’s departure from the series, and Katherine Heigl’s public criticism during that controversy. Most of the personal characterizations, whether positive or negative, are not independently verified.
What the 2019 article is
The list was published on December 23, 2019, on a page labeled Medical School under a headline carrying the TheThings name. It mixes four kinds of material: reported incidents, rumors, anecdotes credited to interviews or social posts, and the writer’s own judgment. Those categories are not separated in the text, which is why the headline’s labels read as established fact when they are not. “Jerks” and “sweethearts” are the article’s evaluative labels. They are not measurements of anyone’s character.
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How the article’s claims hold up
The table below sorts the main claims by the kind of support found in the reporting reviewed for this piece. “Not independently verified” means the original interview, post, or event could not be matched to a source outside the listicle. It does not mean the claim is false.
| Claim as presented by the 2019 article | Independent support found | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Patrick Dempsey had a reputation for “diva behavior” and left the show in 2015 | Departure year attributed to the article; reputation is anecdotal | Reputation: opinion or anecdote. Departure: attributed to the article |
| Dempsey’s departure had a specific cause, given as a rumor | Not stated in the sources reviewed | Rumor. Not repeated here |
| A heated incident between Isaiah Washington and Dempsey | Public controversy involving Washington is documented; the specific confrontation as described is not confirmed in the sources reviewed | Partly documented. Details unconfirmed |
| Washington’s use of an anti-gay slur in 2007 | ABC News reported on June 8, 2007 on the controversy over an anti-gay slur involving T.R. Knight | Corroborated as a public controversy |
| Washington would not return to the series | ABC News reported on June 8, 2007 that he would not return | Corroborated |
| Katherine Heigl withdrew from Emmy consideration in 2008 | Stated rationale is attributed to Heigl as summarized by the article | Attributed to the article. Rationale is her own stated reason |
| Heigl criticized Washington’s public comments | CBS/AP reported in January 2007 that Heigl publicly criticized Washington | Corroborated |
| A cast member, in a Larry King interview, suggested Knight used the controversy to advance his career and earn more money | Original interview not located | Accusation. Not verified. Not repeated here |
| Sandra Oh is dedicated; Kevin McKidd remarked on her annotated scripts | Original remark not located in the sources reviewed | Anecdote. Not independently verified |
| Jerrika Hinton has early-morning energy, praised by Sarah Drew and Camilla Luddington | Original praise not located | Anecdote. Not independently verified |
| Justin Chambers had difficulty with medical jargon, per Sarah Drew | Not stated in the sources reviewed | Anecdote. Not independently verified |
| Jesse Williams broke character; Ellen Pompeo resented Kate Walsh’s spin-off; Sara Ramirez’s departure notice; Eric Dane’s dissatisfaction with his role | Not stated in the sources reviewed | Claims as presented by the article. Not verified |
The Washington and Knight controversy
This is the most solidly documented episode in the article. ABC News reported on June 8, 2007 that Isaiah Washington would not return to the series after the controversy over an anti-gay slur involving T.R. Knight. That report establishes the public dispute and Washington’s exit. It does not establish the physical details or the blow-by-blow account of the confrontation that circulate in retellings, and those should be read as the article’s account rather than settled fact.
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Katherine Heigl’s public criticism and Emmy withdrawal
CBS/AP reported in January 2007 that Heigl was upset by Washington’s public denial and criticized his comments publicly. That is contemporaneous evidence of how cast members responded in real time.
The 2019 article says Heigl withdrew from Emmy consideration in 2008 because she felt the season’s material did not warrant a nomination. That is her stated reason as the article summarizes it. A decision of this kind can be read in several ways, and the reasoning given does not, on its own, show anything about her attitude toward colleagues or the show.
Rank #2
- Condition: Used, Very Good
- Format: DVD
- Box set; Color; NTSC; Closed-captioned
How to weigh the positive anecdotes
The list’s “sweetheart” entries rely on the same kind of sourcing as its negative ones. Praise attributed to co-stars, such as Drew and Luddington on Hinton or McKidd on Oh’s script annotations, is a useful sign of how colleagues described each other at the time, but it is secondhand. The article does not give dates or links for most of these remarks, so they cannot be checked against their original context.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.A checklist for judging claims like these
- Source proximity: Is the claim tied to a named outlet and date, or only to “a cast member” or “a report”?
- Statement type: Is it a reported event, a direct quotation, a rumor, or an opinion?
- Contemporary coverage: Did news outlets at the time cover the event, and do their accounts match?
- Stated reason: When a person explains a decision, is the explanation treated as their account rather than a verified motive?
Applied to the 2019 list, this checklist supports the Washington controversy and departure, Heigl’s public criticism, and Heigl’s stated Emmy rationale. It does not support the headline labels for any individual cast member.
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Rank #3
- Condition: Used, Very Good
- Format: DVD
- Closed-captioned; Color; Dolby; DVD; Widescreen; NTSC
The labels also reflect a point in time. The list was published in 2019, and cast membership and public reputations change, so the article should be read as a record of what was being said then.
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Best Value
- Condition: New
- Format: DVD
- Box set; Color; DVD; Widescreen; NTSC
Rank #4
- Condition: Used, Very Good
- Format: DVD
- Surround Sound; NTSC; Closed-captioned; Subtitled
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