Katherine Heigl Clears Up Rumor She Turned Down ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Emmy Nomination: “I Wasn’t Trying To Be A Dick”

Katherine Heigl recalls the controversy surrounding the Emmys after allegedly turning down a nomination for her work on Grey’s Anatomy.

The 27 Dresses star made an appearance on Shannen Doherty’s podcast, Let’s Be Clear, when the topic came up.

“I don’t know any person except for you that turns down an Emmy nomination,” Doherty said, which made Heigl jump in and say, “Well, I didn’t, and everybody keeps saying that. I didn’t turn it down.”

“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,” Heigl explained. “I just didn’t submit my work that year.”

News of Heigl not wanting to be considered for the Emmys was controversial as the actress had won in the Best Supporting Actress category the year before. In a statement from 2008, Heigl said, “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.”

Sixteen years after the controversy, Heigl regrets making that statement saying she “should have said nothing.”

“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 added. “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.”

She 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.”

Earlier this year, Heigl attended the Emmys, reuniting with her former Grey’s Anatomy co-stars to celebrate the ABC series.