Did Shonda Rhimes Fire Patrick Dempsey From Grey’s Anatomy?

As if there isn't enough melodrama on Grey’s Anatomy, now rumors are flying about Shonda Rhimes saying so long to longstanding leading man Patrick Dempsey. According to Page Six, Rhimes is fed up with the actor’s “diva” behavior, and she’s ready to write him off for good. The presence of Derek Shepherd, a.k.a. McDreamy, has been pretty light as of late anyway — the good doctor left Seattle for Washington, D.C., at the end of last season. At the time, Rhimes admitted that it was "highly possible that we might not see Derek for awhile." But, she also affirmed to Entertainment Weekly that the character wasn't gone for good, despite the fact that the show would not be taking place in both locales. "There will be a time when you see him again, yes." Is sounds like the tide may have turned, though. The show is approaching the end of its 11th season, and while Dempsey signed on for a 12th, he's also been pretty open about wanting to transition to something new. According to a source close to Grey's Anatomy, Rhimes and Dempsey are butting heads. "She suspended him for a while," they claimed to Page Six, "and the word on set is that he isn't coming back full time." (A rep for the actor confirmed this assertion is not true.)  This wouldn't be the first personality conflict on the hospital drama. Former Grey's star Katherine Heigl had her own clash with Rhimes, and Isaiah Washington left after allegedly fighting with Dempsey and using a gay slur against actor T.R. Knight. One thing we do know: At the end of the day, it's Shonda's show, and she's a force. "I don't put up with bullshit or nasty people," she told The Hollywood Reporter. "I don't have time for it." Now that we definitely believe.