Laura Ann Tull Alleges Eric Dane Was a 'Bully' and Says She Contacted Shonda Rhimes’ Office After His Death
Days after Eric Dane’s death on February 19, 2026, laura ann tull posted a series of messages accusing the late Grey’s Anatomy star of bullying and saying she took steps that she believes led to his departure from the show. The claims have reopened questions about Dane’s 2012 exit from the series and prompted a sharp public debate over airing unverified grievances after an individual’s death.
Laura Ann Tull’s posts on Threads and a Variety tribute post
Laura Ann Tull wrote multiple messages on Threads and commented on a Variety tribute post, calling Eric Dane a “bully” and recounting negative encounters on the Grey’s Anatomy set. She described him as a “narcissist, ” said he mocked and mistreated her, and wrote that his conduct caused long‑term professional and personal harm. Tull emphasized that his death “doesn’t change the destruction he caused, ” and said she decided to speak out even as public tributes circulated.
Claims about episodes from 2005 to 2008 and personal health struggles
Tull framed her allegations around a period she placed between 2005 and 2008, saying Dane mocked her while she was physically vulnerable after having beaten cancer and while she was becoming sick with an autoimmune disease. She has previously written about this stretch of time: a June 2018 Medium essay reflected on working as an extra on Grey’s Anatomy for three years and mentioned Dane by name, noting she never spoke to him directly but that she heard him talk about her and that she remains a SAG‑AFTRA member seeking accountability for what she described as bullying.
Eric Dane’s death on February 19, 2026 and career timeline
Eric Dane died on February 19, 2026, after a year‑long battle with ALS. He was 53 at the time of his death. Dane was best known on television as Dr. Mark Sloan—nicknamed “McSteamy”—on Grey’s Anatomy, a role he played from 2006 through 2012. That timeline and his illness have shaped the context in which Tull’s latest statements were made.
Claims that contacting Shonda Rhimes’ office led to Dane’s 2012 exit
Tull has asserted she contacted the office of show creator and executive producer Shonda Rhimes and that her outreach was decisive in leading to Dane’s dismissal. She wrote that she called Rhimes’ assistant two weeks before the public announcement of his termination and declared, “I am why he was fired from Grey’s. ” That claim conflicts with the contemporaneous framing of his departure: in 2012, Shonda Rhimes described the choice as a difficult, mutual decision tied to storylines, and Dane later said in a June 2024 appearance on Dax Shepard’s Armchair Expert podcast that he felt he had been let go, suggesting business reasons such as rising cast costs may have contributed.
Responses from ABC, Shondaland, family and online reaction
There have been no public statements from ABC, Shondaland, Eric Dane’s representatives or members of his family responding to Tull’s most recent posts. The absence of comment has intensified debate online: supporters of Tull argue that background actors occupy a lower tier on set hierarchies and that workplace bullying should be disclosed even after a subject’s death; opponents contend that airing unverified personal grievances when the accused cannot respond is ethically fraught and risks inflicting harm on a deceased person’s reputation. Some commenters have suggested Tull’s account may be exaggerated; others have defended her courage in speaking about long‑term harm.
What makes this notable is the timing and record of past statements
The timing matters because Tull’s public allegations arrived within days of Dane’s death, reviving matters that intersect with documented statements from 2012 and Dane’s own 2024 comments. The broader implication is a renewed struggle over how the industry and the public reconcile competing narratives—officially stated production decisions, a departed actor’s recollections, and the claims of a former extra who says she suffered lasting consequences. Comments on the platforms hosting the discussion are moderated and generally are posted if they are on‑topic and not abusive.
As the conversation continues, the factual record includes the dates and decisions already on the public record—Dane’s Feb. 19, 2026 death after a yearlong ALS battle, his tenure on Grey’s Anatomy from 2006–2012, Tull’s account of events in the mid‑2000s, her 2018 essay, and her assertion that she contacted Rhimes’ office two weeks before the 2012 announcement—while official comment from the network, the production company, or Dane’s representatives remains absent.
