14 DAY TRIAL // Dr. Dereck Shepherd’s days are numbered. Actor Patrick Dempsey has been on ABC’s “Grey’s Anatomy” since day one in 2005, but his “diva” behavior is causing serious tensions with series creator Shonda Rhimes. It could also cost him his job, Page Six claims, citing on-set sources.
In January 2014, Dempsey signed a 2-year contract with ABC, but by November that same year, he was already demoted from regular to guest star, as his character moved to DC. According to the publication, this wasn’t a move for Dempsey to phase out from the series and pursue other projects, this was “punishment” for the way he was acting.
“Patrick has been acting like a diva and has clashed with Shonda,” says a spy. “She suspended him for a while, and the word on set is that he isn’t coming back full time. Given all the past problems with Katherine Heigl and Isaiah Washington, there is little tolerance on the show for troublesome talent.”
Heigl was fired after she trash-talked the show as she was trying to break into film, and got into several heated exchanges with the same Shonda. Washington, on the other hand, was fired after his homophobic rants against former co-star T.R. Knight.
These two examples have shown network bosses and the fans that everyone on the principal cast can be removed and / or replaced, without serious consequences to the show. If it’s true that Dempsey is acting like a diva, he will find that out soon, the hard way.
However, in late 2014, he was dropping hints that he was getting ready to say goodbye to “Grey’s,” saying that he imagined the end was near for him. So either he won’t be surprised if he’s fired, or leaving is actually his intention. My money’s on the latter.