Patrick Dempsey shames Shonda Rhimes for blatant Grey's Anatomy PR stunts

But does TV mastermind Rhimes really get involved in a ton of behind-the-scenes drama, or are the real-life storylines all just part of her Beyoncé/Jay Z-style genius Jedi mind tricks?

After Patrick Dempsey's fan favorite Grey's Anatomy character, Derek Shepherd, was suddenly killed off in Season 11, it definitely seemed that Rhimes was in the mix this year as rumors began flying that she had fired Dempsey because of his diva behavior and/or his alleged affair with a Grey's intern.

More: Patrick Dempsey tries to convince everyone there was no feud on Grey's Anatomy

Rhimes added fuel to the gossip when she admitted in a November 2015 interview with Larry Wilmore on The Nightly Show that she had given an employee the ax for personal reasons.

"Have you ever killed off a character because you didn't like the actor?" asked Wilmore, via TVLine. "And extra bonus points, who was it? Don't even think about lying."

"Yes, and I'm not naming names," Rhimes replied.

But now, Dempsey is claiming that Rhimes' revelation to Wilmore is all part of a little public relations game she is playing.

"I think she loves being provocative and that’s fine for who she is," Dempsey said in an interview with Entertainment Weekly earlier this week. "That gets people talking about all the stuff that she’s doing. She’s an amazing woman who is incredibly productive. She’s promoting a book. She’s promoting three shows. And she’s emerging as the star of all of these things. I think she knows how to deal with the media and what she needs to say to get the response that she’s looking for. She’s very savvy."

Backhanded compliment, much?

To be fair, there are plenty of other people Rhimes could have been referring to in her interview with Wilmore, like Dempsey's former Grey's Anatomy co-stars Katherine Heigl and Isaiah Washington, or Scandal's Columbus Short, who had his fair share of personal problems. It's entirely possible she wasn't even talking about Dr. McDreamy.

And more power to Rhimes if she wants to drum up interest in her shows and book. That is her job, after all.

What do you think: Is Dempsey still mad for being killed off on Grey's Anatomy, or did he make a diplomatic statement about Rhimes saying she has fired someone because she didn't like them?