Last April, "Grey's Anatomy" fans were devastated when Dr. Drake Shepherd (Patrick Dempsey) was killed off as the character has been around since the show's first season. Dempsey's character is a favorite as Drake's romance with Meredith (Ellen Pompeo) had been one of the series' main storylines since the show premiered in 2005.
While the show's current season sees Meredith and the others moving on after the tragic events of season 11, loyal viewers continued to miss Drake and some even took to the show's official Facebook to say that the show was not the same without him.
It was rumored that the character was killed off because Dempsey and show creator Shonda Rhimes allegedly had a falling out. Rhimes recently fueled the rumors when she appeared on Comedy Central's "The Nightly Show." The showrunner was asked whether she ever killed off a character because she did not get along with the actor who portrayed him or her, and Rhimes admitted that she did.
"Yes, and I'm not naming names," Rhimes told host Larry Wilmore.
Many fans thought that Rhimes was referring to Dempsey, while some speculated that the showrunner was referring to either Columbus Short ("Scandal") or Eric Dane ("Grey's Anatomy").
Speaking with Entertainment Weekly, Dempsey gave his take on Rhimes' comments and when asked if he thought that the showrunner was referring to him, the star said that Rhimes "loves being provocative" and that it was fine for who she is.
Dempsey praised the showrunner for being "incredibly productive," pointing out that she is promoting three shows and a book.
"She's emerging as the star of all these things. I think she knows how to deal with the media and what she needs to say to get the response she's looking for," said the actor.
Right now, Dempsey is busy promoting his upcoming film, "Bridget Jones's Baby." The actor said that working on a movie after being on television for so long "completely reinvigorated me."
"I've enjoyed it immensely," said Dempsey on filming the movie. "I really love it."
