Shonda Rhimes Killed Off a Character Because She Disliked the Actor (Watch)

*Shonda Rhimes came clean during Comedy Central’s “The Nightly Show With Larry Wilmore” this week when it comes to killing off characters on her ABC shows.

“Have you ever killed off a character because you didn’t like the actor? And extra bonus points, who was it? Don’t even think about lying,” Wilmore asked the showrunner, who has created “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Scandal” and “How to Get Away With Murder.”

“Yes, and I’m not naming names,” answered Rhimes, who was promoting her new book, The Year of Yes.

She didn’t bother going for the bonus points by revealing which character took the sacrificial dirt nap.

Patrick Dempsey was the last actor whose character was killed off of “Grey’s,” but Dempsey was ready to move on from the show.  In August, Rhimes told the TCA how agonizing it was to conclude that killing off McDreamy would be the best way to honor his character.

Prior to Dempsey’s exit, Rhimes axed Columbus Short’s character from “Scandal.” His exit followed allegations of domestic violence and he has since admitted a struggle with drugs, namely cocaine.

Shonda’s other deceased characters include Eric Dane’s Mark Sloane, Jeffrey Dean Morgan’s Denny Duquette, T.R. Knight’s George O’Malley, and Chyler Leigh’s Little Grey, aka, Lexie. “Scandal” saw the demise of Dylan Minnette’s Jerry Grant Jr., and Grey’s spin-off “Private Practice” knocked off Chris Lowell’s William Parker.

Watch Shonda’s response on “The Nightly Show” below (at the 9:30 mark):

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