Grey’s Anatomy creator Shonda Rhimes is sounding off on Monday’s shocking firing of actress Brooke Smith. The blonde star is perhaps best known for her role as “Dr. Erica Hahn” on the award-winning medical drama. Rhimes denies that Brooke’s ousting is tied to uptight suits and ties at parent network ABC and their discomfort with “Dr. Hahn’s” steamy lesbian romance with fellow fictitious Seattle Grace MD, “Dr. Callie Torres.”

“I was very excited when they told me that [my character] Erica and [Sara Ramirez's character] Callie were going to have this relationship. And I really hoped we were going to show what happens when two women fall in love and that they were going to treat it like any heterosexual couple on TV. And so I was surprised and disappointed when they just suddenly told me that they couldn’t write for my character anymore,” Brooke said in an interview with Entertainment Weekly.

In press statement released late Monday, Shonda Rhimes insists writers simply weren’t feeling the “Hahn” character anymore: “Brooke Smith was obviously not fired for playing a lesbian. Clearly it’s not an issue as we have a lesbian character on the show — Calliope Torres. Sara Ramirez is an incredible comedic and dramatic actress and we wanted to be able to play up her magic. Unfortunately, we did not find that the magic and chemistry with Brooke’s character would sustain in the long run. The impact of the Callie/Erica relationship will be felt and played out in a story for Callie…..”