Eric Dane Reveals Why He Was "Let Go" From Grey's Anatomy

The "McSteamy" actor says he "wasn't the same guy" hired for the medical drama.

By Nicole Drum

For fans of Grey's Anatomy, Eric Dane's departure as Dr. Mark Sloan, aka McSteamy, on the ABC medical drama was a sad one with the beloved character dying at the beginning of Season 9 having sustained injuries in a devastating plane crash during the Season 8 finale. Now, Dane is opening up about the reason for his departure, revealing that he was "let go" because he "wasn't the same guy they had hired".

"I think I was let go," Dane explained, talking about his struggles with addiction at the time, on a recent episode of Dax Shepard's Armchair Podcast (via The Hollywood Reporter). "They didn't let me go because of that, although it definitely didn't help. I was starting to become, as most of these actors who have spent significant time on a show, you start to become very expensive for the network. 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're fine."

He added, "I wasn't the same guy they had hired. So, I had understood when I was let go. And Shonda [Rhimes] was really great. She protected us fiercely. She protected us publicly. She protected us privately … But I was probably fired. It wasn't ceremoniously like, 'You're fired.' it was just like, 'You're not coming back.'"

Dane has since returned to Grey's Anatomy, albeit briefly. During Season 17, Meredith (Ellen Pompeo) is in a COVID-induced coma and spends time on a sort of "afterlife" beach where she's visited by various loved ones — including Sloan. These days, Dane currently stars in HBO's Euphoria where he plays Cal Jacobs, the father of Jacob Elordi's Nate Jacobs. He also played McGrath in Bad Boys: Ride or Die.

Euphoria Season 3 Will Have a Time Jump

It was confirmed earlier this year that while Euphoria is coming back for a third season, fans will have a bit of a wait for the series to return and, when it does, there will be a time jump.

"Sam is working on it," CEO of HBO and Max content Casey Bloys said about Season 3 of Euphoria. "There's been a lot of back and forth … One of the issues I think that Sam is thinking about is that he doesn't want to have it in high school anymore. That's where it was set and what made sense then. So, when you take it out of that, there's a lot of back and forth about where to set it and how far in the future to set it and all that stuff. But I think he's got a take that he's excited about, and he's busy writing."

Related:

Grey's Anatomy is Coming Back for Season 21

Earlier this year, Grey's Anatomy was renewed for Season 21 on ABC, continuing the medical drama's run as the longest running primetime medical drama in television history as well as the longest running primetime series in ABC history.

"The loyalty and love of 'Grey's Anatomy' fans has propelled us into a historic 21st season, and I could not be more grateful," series creator and executive producer Shonda Rhimes said. "Meg Marinis' storytelling is a gift that continues to keep the show vibrant, compelling and alive, and I can't wait to see what she has in store for next season."

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