Katherine Heigl Is the Internet’s New Favorite Pimple Popper

Katherine Heigl is officially in her skinfluencer era.

The 45-year-old actor recently allowed Allure to document her beauty routine ahead of her first Emmys appearance in ten years—but not everything went according to plan. You may notice that the Firefly Lane star opened the door to the camera crew with a tissue pressed against her makeup-free face. “So I made the bold move to try to extract a zit on my own,” she explained in the Instagram Reel. “It was a mistake, it’s always a mistake.”

Of course, the show must go on! Heigl continued to explain her personal skincare routine before her glam team got a start on her makeup. One notable takeaway was Heigl’s hack for the “most lovely, flawless finish.” Instead of applying TikTok’s favorite Watermelon Glow Niacinamide Dew Drops Serum by Glow Recipe underneath her moisturizer, she uses it after her lotions and under-eye cream as a base for her makeup.

Still, it was her rogue pimple popping expedition that commenters found particularly “down to earth.” One user replied, “The relatability of that pimple pop 😂 It’s always a mistake 😩,” while another wrote, “The pimple! Keeping it real and I love it! 👏”

During the 2024 Emmy Awards, Katherine Heigl took part in a little Grey’s Anatomy reunion, presenting one of the evening’s awards with former co-star’s Ellen Pompeo, Justin Chambers, James Pickens Jr., and Chandra Wilson.

This moment felt particularly cathartic given Heigl’s complicated history with the awards ceremony and the hit medical drama. The actor famously opted out of Emmys consideration in 2008 after taking home an award the previous year for her performance as Dr. Izzie Stevens on the popular series. She ultimately quit Grey’s Anatomy in 2010 after publicly describing the long hours as “cruel and mean” during a 2009 appearance on The Late Show With David Letterman.

Actors Chandra Wilson, Justin Chambers, Ellen Pompeo, Katherine Heigl and James Pickens speak onstage during the 75th Emmy Awards on January 15, 2024.

VALERIE MACON/Getty Images

In December 2022, Heigl revealed that she had some regrets about leaving Grey’s Anatomy “in a panic” instead of attempting to come up with a compromise. “I think with Grey’s at that time, I didn’t feel I had any other choice [but to leave],” Heigl told Sirus XM’s Bevy Smith. “I was breaking, it was breaking me, and I was young. I hadn’t garnered enough experience and wisdom yet to get myself through it with less heightened anxiety. I was vibrating at a level that I was gonna get sick and I did get mentally sick.”

In 2021, the actor told Entertainment Tonight that while she’d “never say never” to a Grey’s Anatomy cameo, it was “not likely” to happen. Even so, her latest Emmys appearance made Izzie’s return feel practically inevitable. Fingers crossed!