Days after actor Eric Dane’s death at the age of 53, a former “Grey’s Anatomy” background performer, Laura Ann Tull, has drawn widespread backlash online after posting a series of messages accusing Dane of bullying and claiming she played a role in his exit from the long-running medical drama.
Tull, who describes herself as an actress and former lawyer, published a lengthy social media rant on Threads in which she alleged that Dane had been “abusive” to her on set and portrayed him as an “evil” bully. In the posts, she also claimed she contacted the production in advance of Dane’s departure from the series and suggested her complaint contributed to his character being written off in 2012.
“I am why he was fired from ‘Grey’s,’” Tull wrote, according to screenshots and reporting that circulated following the posts.
Tull asserted that she had called an assistant to the show’s creator, Shonda Rhimes, shortly before news of Dane’s exit became public, adding that Rhimes “will ever admit that,” without providing evidence to support the allegation.
The claims arrived amid an outpouring of tributes for Dane, whose family announced his death after a battle with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, also known as motor neurone disease. In a statement carried by multiple outlets, his family said he died on 19 February, describing a “courageous battle” and saying he spent his final days surrounded by loved ones.
Dane, who became widely known for playing Dr Mark Sloan on “Grey’s Anatomy”, also starred in HBO’s “Euphoria” and appeared in films including “Marley & Me” and “X-Men: The Last Stand”. Born in San Francisco in 1972, he began acting in television in the early 1990s before his breakthrough on “Grey’s Anatomy” in 2005, Reuters reported.
After announcing his ALS diagnosis in April 2025, Dane spoke publicly about continuing to work and about the importance of speaking openly about the disease, according to interviews cited by People.
Tull’s posts cut against the tone of mourning that followed his death, and the timing became central to the backlash. Social media users criticised her for airing allegations against someone who could no longer respond, and for doing so at a moment when his family and friends were grieving.
In comments highlighted in coverage of the controversy, one user questioned “the point” of the public callout and criticised “attacking someone after they die”, describing it as “indecency towards his family”. Another commenter accused Tull of chasing attention and seeking “two minutes of fame”, while others argued that even if her account were true, the timing was inappropriate.
Some users also questioned whether Tull had worked on “Grey’s Anatomy” at all. Critics pointed to her public acting credits and argued that her claimed role did not appear on her IMDb page, with one self-described fan saying they had never seen her on the show despite repeated viewings.
Tull pushed back on the criticism, arguing that Dane’s death did not erase the harm she said he caused, and that she had spoken about him previously, before he died. She pointed to a Medium essay published in 2018 in which she described what she said was a pattern of disparaging remarks made about her on set, including being called “weird”.
In that earlier writing, Tull said she had not spoken directly to Dane, but believed she had been discussed by him and others during production. She also referenced an email she said she received from a person she described as a representative tied to the actors’ union Sag-Aftra, as part of her account.
The renewed attention on Tull’s allegations has also dragged other figures associated with “Grey’s Anatomy” into the dispute. In her past writing and in more recent discussion about her claims, she referenced actor Patrick Dempsey, who played Dr Derek Shepherd, suggesting he was also involved in remarks about her. Representatives for Dane and Dempsey did not immediately respond to requests for comment reported by outlets covering the story.
There has been no public confirmation from the show, its creator, or Dane’s representatives supporting Tull’s assertion that she was responsible for his departure. Dane left “Grey’s Anatomy” in 2012 after his character’s storyline concluded, and he later continued acting in television and film for more than a decade.
The controversy has unfolded largely on social media, with fragments of Tull’s Threads posts recirculated across platforms alongside reactions from viewers and fans. Those reactions have ranged from disbelief to anger, with many focusing on the ethics of making such allegations in the immediate aftermath of a death and on the absence of evidence offered publicly to substantiate her claims.
Dane’s death came less than a year after he disclosed his ALS diagnosis, and his family’s statement said he became an advocate for awareness and research during his illness. Reuters reported that Dane and his wife, actress Rebecca Gayheart, separated in 2018 after 14 years of marriage, and that they share two daughters. People reported that his family asked for privacy during their mourning.
As debate continues online, the dispute has left two competing narratives in public view: one centred on a late actor remembered by colleagues and fans for a career-defining role and later work, and another driven by an individual’s account of alleged mistreatment on a major television set. For now, the only detailed claims in the public domain remain those made by Tull herself, circulated through her own posts and earlier writing, alongside the forceful backlash from social media users who say the moment of loss was not the time to litigate them in public.
