Eric Dane Explains Why He Missed Grey's Anatomy Reunion

Eric Dane finally revealed why he wasn’t in attendance at the Emmys during a tribute to the long-running show, Grey’s Anatomy. The actor was a series regular who played Dr. Mark Sloan, also known as McSteamy. His character was the head of plastic surgery at Seattle Grace Hospital.

In an interview with the Washington Post, Dane, who has been diagnosed with ALS, was at the hospital getting stitches during the award ceremony. “ALS is a nasty disease … So I was in the hospital during the Emmys getting stitches put in my head,” he explained. The actor also revealed that he was disappointed because he was really looking forward to participating in the 20th anniversary tribute.

I missed an opportunity I was really looking forward to. It would have been great to see Jesse and get reunited with some of my peers, and to be able to present in front of my colleagues I thought would have been a special moment.

Dane was going to present an award with his former co-star, Jesse Williams, who played Jackson Avery in the medical drama. The pair were supposed to announce the winner of the best director of a drama series.

Eric Dane’s Battle Against ALS

The actor first disclosed his ALS diagnosis in April 2025. He described his condition in an interview with Diane Sawyer of Good Morning America. He told Sawyer, “My left side is functioning, my right side has completely stopped working.”

He also expressed his fears about his illness taking over his whole body. Dane stated, “I feel like maybe a couple more months and I won’t have my left hand either. It’s sobering.”

Dane is currently working alongside a nonprofit called I Am ALS (founded by Brian Wallach and Sandra Abrevaya), where he is a spokesperson. The actor revealed that he has heard from a huge number of people who either have ALS or have lost someone due to it.

It’s unfortunately the same story when I hear from people. It’s like, “I lost my father, mother, cousin, brother, friend,’” Dane said. “It’s never, ‘My father, mother, cousin, brother, friend has been living with it for 10 years now.

While things may seem grim, the Grey’s Anatomy actor still admirably manages to look on the bright side. He is aware that he is more fortunate than others because he has access to resources that a lot of other people don’t. He hopes that he can use his platform to inspire others and give them a sense of hope. He ends his conversation with the Washington Post with, “Not to be overly morbid, but you know if I’m going out, I’m gonna go out helping somebody.”

Release Date: March 27, 2005
Directors: Rob Corn, Kevin McKidd, Debbie Allen, Chandra Wilson, Allison Liddi-Brown, Jeannot Szwarc, Tony Phelan
Writers: Shonda Rhimes, Julie Wong, Jen Klein, Tameson Duffy, Meg Marinis