Grey’s Anatomy star Katherine Heigl was once a rising star in movies and television in the late 2000s. However, her career saw a declining graph after she went on to publicly bash her movie with director Judd Apatow. In 2007, Heigl starred opposite Seth Rogen in Apatow’s comedy film Knocked Up. She had brutal criticism for the film in a 2008 interview, where she called the film sexist.
Katherine Heigl in a still from Knocked Up | Apatow Productions
The film also starred Marvel star Paul Rudd and Apatow’s real-life spouse Leslie Mann. The director responded to the comments sharing that he expected an apology from the actress. Interestingly, Apatow earned flak from Tom Cruise’s fans for brutally trolling him while hosting DGA 2023.
Grey’s Anatomy Star Katherine Heigl Slammed Judd Apatow’s Movie
Katherine Heigl and Seth Rogen in a still from Knocked Up | Apatow Productions
Katherine Heigl starred as ambitious Los Angeles reporter Alison Scott in Knocked Up, when she was at the height of her fame with Grey’s Anatomy. Judd Apatow‘s film follows the story of how a one-night stand between Heigl’s character and a slacker, played by Seth Rogen, results in an unintended pregnancy.
During a 2008 interview with Vanity Fair, Heigl shared her disappointment in how the film turned out. She called the film “sexist” since it showed women as “shrews” while men as “lovable” goofs. She hated how her character was a killjoy and shared her frustration at why Alison was portrayed in such a way. She told Vanity Fair:
It was a little sexist. It paints the women as shrews, as humorless and uptight, and it paints the men as lovable, goofy, fun-loving guys. It exaggerated the characters, and I had a hard time with it, on some days. I’m playing such a b*tch; why is she being such a killjoy? Why is this how you’re portraying women?
Apatow reacted to her comments in an appearance on The Howard Stern Show in 2009. He shared that he expected an apology from the actress. He shared that he initially thought she was probably tired after hours of interviews and just slipped a little bit. Apatow shared (via news.com.au):
[You’d think] at some point I’ll get a call saying ‘Sorry, I was tired …’ and then the call never comes.
Seth Rogen shared in another appearance on The Howard Stern Show that he felt betrayed when she said she didn’t like the end product. He shared that they had a really good time on set and it was difficult for them when she shared that she did not like the process. Rogen added that they never heard from Heigl personally after the comments.
Katherine Heigl Recently Opened Up About Being Branded ‘Difficult’
Katherine Heigl and Ellen Pompeo in a still from Grey’s Anatomy | Shondaland
In a 2021 interview with The Washington Post, Katherine Heigl shared that she was branded as “difficult” in Hollywood after her comments on Knocked Up and her issues with Grey’s Anatomy creator Shonda Rhimes. She shared that when she expressed her opinions on the film, she was first considered “ungrateful”, then “difficult”, and finally “unprofessional”.
She shared that she was frustrated at how she was treated for sharing an opinion on something she didn’t like. Heigl shared with The Washington Post:
I may have said a couple of things you didn’t like, but then that escalated to ‘she’s ungrateful,’ then that escalated to ‘she’s difficult,’ and that escalated to ‘she’s unprofessional’. What is your definition of difficult? Somebody with an opinion that you don’t like? Now, I’m 42, and that s— pisses me off.
Judd Apatow went after Tom Cruise with insulting jokes during his DGA Awards hosting gig last year (via Variety). He made fun of the actor’s height and his affiliations to Scientology. He joked during the event, “But every time he does one of these new stunts, it does feel like an ad for Scientology.”
Apatow who expects an apology from Heigl hasn’t issued one to Cruise yet. Knocked Up is now available for streaming on Netflix.
