Back in 2009, Katherine Heigl, at perhaps the height of her fame on ABC's Grey's Anatomy, made some then-controversial comments about the show's grueling working conditions... which Ellen Pompeo has now confirmed.

Pompeo, 52, welcomed another Grey's Anatomy co-star, Kate Walsh, on her Tell Me podcast, where she addressed the comments for the first time.

The actress, who has played Meredith Grey since the hit series debuted on ABC back in 2005, said Heigl was, '100% honest.'

Heigl was promoting her new movie The Ugly Truth on a July 2009 episode of Late Night with David Letterman, where she added it she just returned to Grey's and made some controversial comments.

'Our first day back was Wednesday and it was... I'm gonna keep saying this because I hope it embarrasses them... a 17-hour day, which I think is cruel and mean,' Heigl said.

The audience didn't respond to her statement, as she quickly added it was, 'actually really great to be back because all my friends are there and at this point they're like family.'

During her latest podcast episode, Pompeo and Walsh reflected on her comments, with Pompeo stating, 'I remember Heigl said something on a talk show about the insane hours we were working and she was 100% right.'

Heigl had been branded as 'difficult' to work with and is said to have a rather contentious relationship with Grey's Anatomy creator Shonda Rhimes.

Pompeo admitted that it was a different time when Heigl made those comments, and they would have been received much differently now.

'Had she said that today, she’d be a complete hero. But she’s ahead of her time, made a statement about our crazy hours and of course, let’s slam a woman and call her ungrateful,' Pompeo said.

She went on, saying that Katherine opening up about the work hours was '100% honest' and was 'absolutely correct' about it all.

'And she was f***ing ballsy for saying it. And she was telling the truth. She wasn’t lying,' Pompeo said on the podcast.

Heigl played Dr. Izzie Stevens for the first six seasons on Grey's Anatomy, which made her a household name and propelled her movie career.

She would later return to TV with State of Affairs, Doubt and Suits, while most recently starring on Firefly Lane.

She plays Victoria Woodhull in the upcoming series Woodhull, playing the first woman ever to run for President of the United States in 1872.