Addressing the controversy, creator Shonda Rhimes claims that Brooke Smith was “obviously not fired for playing a lesbian,” and she noted that they let Smith go from the hit series because they “did not find the magic and chemistry with Brooke’s character would sustain in the long run.”
Brooke Smith was ultimately let go after the fifth season.
In an interview, Brooke Smith claimed that she was told by network executives that the scene wherein Dr. Erica Hahn realizes she’s gay was “one of the best they ever shot on the show.”
Still, Smith was quite taken aback by her dismissal from the show shortly after the powerful scene, claiming that she was “floored” by the decision and that she was told they “couldn’t write” for her character “anymore.”