More fallout from Brooke Smith’s Firing
Well, people are still talking about the axing of Brooke Smith who played recently out of the closet Erica Hahn on Grey’s Anatomy. There has been plenty of discussion with opinions varying greatly on the topic. I’ve heard everything from “why not just end the Erica and Callie romance but leave her on the show?” to “Good riddance, those conversations were way too graphic.” Unfortunately, this is just more negative press that Grey’s Anatomy does not need. On top of the bad publicity, Grey’s ratings continue to drop. In 2006, the show was ranked number one and as of October 27, it was ranked number 9.
ABC News is investigating the firing of Brooke Smith. In an article on their website, they cite an anonymous industry insider who finds the firing very curious because it was so abrupt. The bottom line is, no one seems to know exactly why Smith was fired. It could have just been that the character didn’t click with Callie, or pressure from advertisers, or pressure from network executives.
And even though we didn’t ask, former cast member Isaiah Washington has issued a statement giving his two cents on Smith’s dismissal:
“You look at the way another consummate professional [is] being treated because her character, her story line [has] potentially made producers uncomfortable, Now that I see what they’re doing to a show that I love and I care about, I think it’s disgusting. The fact that Shonda has been put in this position is extremely unfair.” When asked what his idea of “damage control” was, he said, “Bring Burke back!”
On a sidenote, Michael Aussiello at Entertainment Weekly said today that two other “low level” castmembers have been let go, but no one has seemed to notice. He also reported that Kevin McKidd’s Dr. Owen Hunt has been promoted to series regular.
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