‘Grey’s Anatomy’: Eric Dane Confessed He Was ‘Let Go’ From the Medical Drama
What To Know
- Eric Dane revealed that he was “let go” from Grey’s Anatomy.
- Dane played Dr. Mark Sloan from 2006 to 2012.
- He praised showrunner Shonda Rhimes for her support during his exit.
Eric Dane confessed less than two years before his death that he was “let go” from Grey’s Anatomy rather than leaving by his own choice.
On Thursday, February 19, the actor — who played Dr. Mark Sloan, aka “McSteamy,” in the medical drama series — died at 53 after a battle with ALS.
Dane played the Grey’s Anatomy plastic surgeon for six seasons from 2006 to 2012. In the Season 9 premiere, Sloan died from medical complications after he was involved in a plane crash that also killed his love interest, Lexie Grey (Chyler Leigh), in the Season 8 finale.
During a September 2024 episode of Armchair Expert With Dax Shepard, Dane opened up about the circumstances surrounding his Grey’s exit. “I didn’t leave so much as I think I was let go,” he admitted to podcast host Dax Shepard.
Related: Eric Dane’s First Acting Role Was in Saved by the Bell & He Learned an Important Lesson
Shepard pointed out that Dane was struggling with “struggling” with alcohol and drug addiction at the time. To that, Dane replied, “I was struggling. They didn’t let me go because of that, although it definitely didn’t help.”
Instead, his Grey’s Anatomy exit was due to financial reasons.
“I was starting to become — as most of these actors who have spent significant time on the show — you start to become very expensive for the network,” he shared. “And the network knows that the show is going to do what it’s going to do irrespective of who they keep on it. As long as they have their Grey, they were fine.”
Dane added, “I wasn’t the same guy they had hired, so I had understood when I was let go, Shonda [Rhimes] was really great.”
Additionally, he praised Rhimes’ handling of the situation, explaining, “She protected us fiercely. She protected us publicly, she protected us privately… I love Shonda Rhimes, and she protected me, but I was probably fired. It wasn’t ceremoniously like, ‘You’re fired,’ it was just like, ‘You’re not coming back.'”
Grey’s Anatomy, streaming on Netflix, Hulu, and Disney+