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Us Weekly is reporting that Patrick Dempsey is set to leave Grey's Anatomy, despite being contracted for another season. But what's most surprising is the reason being alleged for his departure: his apparent diva behavior.
For much of Grey's Anatomy's current season, Derek Shepherd has been absent, with his story line keeping him in Washington, D.C. He returned to Seattle in recent episodes, but then went missing again, prompting his wife, Meredith, to become concerned about what had happened to him. At the end of the show's most recent episode, cop cars were seen pulling up to the house Meredith and Derek share together, although his fate is unknown.
Given Derek's absence for most of the season, we can't say the notion that he is set to leave is a particularly shocking one. But reports of his diva behavior are not something we would have expected given Grey's Anatomy seemed to have put issues with its cast behind it long ago. Not to mention, while Dempsey has never been shy about wanting to do things other than Grey's, he has always seemed grateful that Shonda Rhimes has made it possible for him to work on the show while pursuing other passions, like car racing.
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It's also worthwhile noting that Dempsey is in the middle of a divorce from his wife, Jillian Fink, which could be part of the reason he took some time away from the show this season. But Page Six tells a different story, quoting a source as saying, "Patrick has been acting like a diva and has clashed with Shonda. She suspended him for a while, and the word on set is that he isn't coming back full time."
The source also went on to say, "Given all the past problems with Katherine Heigl and Isaiah Washington, there is little tolerance on the show for troublesome talent."
To make things worse, Dempsey himself said in an interview back in November that he was looking to transition away from Grey's Anatomy, and while he wouldn't give a specific time frame for his departure, he did say it would be "very soon."
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But before you assume the fetal position, here are a few things that are working in our favor: Firstly, a rep for Dempsey has said that any reports of his diva behavior or departure from the show aren't true. Secondly, he has made comments in the past about his time on the show coming to an end, only to up his contract for a few more years. Plus, if it is true that he isn't coming back full time, that doesn't mean he's not coming back part time, though, right? Let's just cling to that.