Isaiah Washington Says T.R. Knight Should've Been Fired

[Crystal]

June 20, 2007, 9:01PM
Grey's star says they fired the wrong guy

By JOY SEWING
Copyright 2007 Houston Chronicle

"They fired the wrong guy," Isaiah Washington said today.

The former Dr. Preston Burke on ABC's hit series Grey's Anatomy told the Houston Chronicle that T.R. Knight should have been fired from the show.

Washington was let go on June 7, just a month before filming for the new season was to begin. He has been slammed with negative publicity since October. That's when he allegedly used an anti-gay slur during an on-set disagreement with co-star Patrick Dempsey.
The Houston native's interviews with the media since then have been limited.

"I have to clear my name," a determined Washington told the Houston Chronicle in a telephone interview from the set of his new movie, The Least of These. "I'll start from the beginning. I'm telling everything. So here's the truth."

Washington said Knight, who plays Dr. George O'Malley, stirred up the notion that the slur was targeted at him and created a negative work environment. Washington also alleged that Knight likely wanted a salary increase and a more substantive role for his character.

Knight, who acknowledged that he was gay after the incident, told Ellen DeGeneres in January that Washington used the slur against him and that "everyone (on the set) heard it."

"That's a lie," Washington said. "I used the word during a disagreement with Patrick. I apologized for that. We shook hands and went back to work."

He said he is considering a lawsuit. "My livelihood, my honor and dignity and my name have been so challenged."

Washington said his firing was a big disappointment.

"I was not fired for making homophobic slurs," he said. "I did everything I said I would do. I offered to go to counseling, to do a public service announcement. I wanted everyone to know I was remorseful."

Washington said he asked to be released from his contract last fall after the first incident, then again in January when he repeated the slur at the Golden Globes. His use of the word at the awards ceremony was taken out of context, he said. He was responding to a reporter's question about whether he had used the slur.

He said he regrets that his actions overshadowed Grey's Anatomy creator Shonda Rhimes' win for best TV series drama.

Washington learned ABC would not renew his contract in a tearful call from Rhimes.

"That was a shock," he said. "I did everything they told me to do, including not saying anything, and then they didn't renew my contract. That's not fair."

ABC executives declined to comment Wednesday.

The 43-year-old Washington said this was the first negative incident in his 20 years in Hollywood.

He said he made three errors in judgment: "believing the cast of Grey's Anatomy were like family; believing I had the freedom to express myself with family and that we could resolve our issues; and trusting ABC was going to take care of me.
"I'm not angry. I'm disappointed."

Source : Grey's star says they fired wrong guy (w/audio) | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle

He really should just STFU because he's making himself sound even worse (check out the audio - he just digs a even bigger hole for himself).

[Lily]

Yeah, what an asswipe.

I don't see any reason T.R. Knight should have been fired. But of course, we all know Isaiah has a problem with gay people. Yeesh.

[Beeyotch]

Jesus, this guy has still not learned how to STFU!!

[Mel1973]

I don't know that they should've fired the damn guy - he did do all that he was asked to do. What more could he have done? He went to counseling (he needed to, he has/had issues) and he did the PSA and he kept his mouth shut about this shit - unlike most of the rest of the cast....

[witchcurlgirl]

Isiah Washington tried to make up for what he did, but no chance to make up for what he did was given to Imus.....why does Isaiah think he's entitled?

We can't have double standards...

Although in the interest of fairness, I don't think either of them should have lost their jobs.

How many of us can honestly say that we have never used any type of slur?

[Crystal]

Originally Posted by Mel1973

I don't know that they should've fired the damn guy - he did do all that he was asked to do. What more could he have done? He went to counseling (he needed to, he has/had issues) and he did the PSA and he kept his mouth shut about this shit - unlike most of the rest of the cast....

The fact that he's saying that he did everything they asked him to do just shows that he didn't do it as genuine remorse but more as a way to say "See, I'm going to rehab and meeting with GLAAD because I love the gays!"

Why is he being a bitch about being fired and blaming TR for it? Isaiah is the one that used the word and he did say he asked to be released from his contract twice. Well, now he has been. I honestly don't think TR liked being refered to as "faggot" on set and even more so at the Golden Globes in front of the press. Most of the cast hasn't really spoken about the incident except to do some damage control and say that they were over it and sometimes arguments happen on set. The only ones to come out and speak negatively about Isaiah and the incidents have been TR (after Isaiah denied calling TR a faggot at the GG) and TR's BFF Katherine Heigl (who I do think could use some restraint when talking about some issues). Also, this isn't the first time something negative incident has happenned during Isaiah's career. There had been a couple of incidents that had happened on other sets and were reported in the media. So he really is an arrogant and fucking liar.

Hey, as far as I'm concerned, IW did the crime (using the word and physically attacking Patrick Demsey) and now he got his punishment for it.

[DCGossipGirl]

Everyone else on the cast seems to agree with TR Knight and I haven't heard anyone come out and defend Washington, so how can he still claim that he didn't direct him comment to Knight. Also, he seems like he is mad at the cast for not supporting him for "speaking freely." I'm sure they support his right to free speech, but that doesn't mean they have to agree or support what he says.

[Mel1973]

Originally Posted by Crystal

Why is he being a bitch about it and blaming TR? Isaiah is the one that used the word. I honestly don't think TR liked being refered to as "faggot" on set and even more so at the Golden Globes in front of the press. Most of the cast hasn't really spoken about the incident except to some damage control to say they were over it and sometimes arguments happen on set. The only ones to come out and speak negatively about Isaiah and the incidents have been TR (after Isaiah denied calling TR a faggot at the GG) and TR's BFF Katherine Heigl (who I do think could use some restraint when talking about some issues). Also, this isn't the first time something negative incident has happenned during Isaiah's career. There had been a couple of incidents that had happened on other sets and were reported in the media. So he really is an arrogant and fucking liar.

Hey, as far as I'm concerned, IW did the crime (using the word and physically attacking Patrick Demsey) and now he got his punishment for it.

then they should have let him go when it happened instead of leading him around like a whipped dog making apologies going to "rehab" and all that shit...

[pacific breeze]

^^I agree with Mel. The network behaved badly. It did not act in good faith.

[Crystal]

Originally Posted by Mel1973

then they should have let him go when it happened instead of leading him around like a whipped dog making apologies going to "rehab" and all that shit...

I believe they didn't do that because they didn't want Dr. Preston Burke to literally disappear from the show without his story having a fitting end and ruining the dynamic Isaiah's character had with the other characters especially Cristina (played by Sandra Oh). The season finale set up his fairwell and come the new season things will be sort of explained on why Burke is no longer at the hospital.

[gas_chick]

Should have fired him right away. This guy is a total ass not even for just what he said.

[southernbelle]

I think I'm the only one who is Team Washington. He has a point. While I don't know that I agree that T.R. Knight should have been fired, I do think he definitely blew the whole thing out of proportion and unnecessarily stirred things up. I also remember hearing that the slur was directed at Patrick, not Knight, when it originally happened.

Washington was bullied by TR and ABC into completing a series of actions (PSA, apology, etc) with the understanding that upon completion he would keep his job. He fulfilled his end of that deal only to have ABC completely fuck him over and let him go AFTER pilots for other shows had already been cast. What they did was deceptive and unprofessional. Not only did they completely slander his name by forcing him and allowing TR and Katie to constantly remind everyone that this had happened, they deprived him of the opportunity to look for another job. They led him to believe he would still be employed with Grey's, so he didn't audition for anything else.

In fact, considering that this incident occured in private, why was it even publicized? I wonder if TR was the source who made sure every tabloid heard about it. Maybe the reason no one else has spoken out in his defense is because they don't want to be the next to lose their jobs when TR and Katie unleash their wrath to the media and the producers.

I'm glad that he's considering suing and I hope that he does. Contrary to what we've been led to believe, I don't think his remark was directed at T.R. or some sort of backhanded comment about his sexuality. I think Isaiah used the word in the same sense that people use the word "dumbass" or "bitch." No one "forced" TR to come out of the closet as has been alleged in other articles that I've read. This could have easily been played down. It was TR who insisted on shoving it down everyone's throats.

I think that ABC did go back on their word, completely screwing Isaiah over in the process. Almost everyone I know has used the word "faggot" in frustration or anger at times and it's generally understood that it's an expression of anger or a general insult that's interchangeable with other "bad words," not a slur on the homosexual community. Personally, I think this was a case of TR or Katie having a problem with Isaiah that was unrelated to this incident and seeing this as their opportunity to get him fired.

Disagreements at work happen all the time. It was unprofessional for ABC to allow TR Knight and Katherine Heigl to consistently trash talk Isaiah to media outlets after the fact and (I believe) browbeat TPTB into firing Isaiah AFTER they'd already settled the matter and led him to believe he would keep his job. They needed to pick one or the other- severely reprimand him and make him go through a series of tasks and apologies with the understanding that he'd keep his job OR fire him. Personally, I believe their actions were extreme, unnecessary, deceptive, and unprofessional.

[january]

I actually agree with him (although I know I'll get spanked for it). Its like what Mel said. Plus, when the story first broke, it was said that the word was spoken to Patrick Dempsey in a heated argument, and it wasn't until much later that TR Knight said that the word was directed at him. I always wondered about that. I remember Heigl saying in an interview that she would always back TR Knight because he was her friend, regardless of who was right. It always felt like a way of bullying Isaiah W. to me, because Heigl and Knight are on the same "team." I also read that her and Knight were the ones who kept dragging this whole thing on and on, even after everything had calmed down. It felt like high school to me, with nobody behaving in a mature manner. If ABC really wanted to punish him for intolerance, they would have done it right away. Instead, they made him jump through hoops. I think that Heigl and Knight said they would walk, so they cut their losses, which is cheap. After their promises, they did not act in good faith. He even went to anger management! I agree with what he's saying, although I'm sure I'll be in the minority. I watch movies/TV purely for entertainment value, and he was what made Greys good TV for me, him and Yang. Now that he's gone, I don't really care to watch anymore. I think it was a mistake, considering he was one of the best characters on the show.

[SweetPea]

Originally Posted by DCGossipGirl

Everyone else on the cast seems to agree with TR Knight and I haven't heard anyone come out and defend Washington, so how can he still claim that he didn't direct him comment to Knight. Also, he seems like he is mad at the cast for not supporting him for "speaking freely." I'm sure they support his right to free speech, but that doesn't mean they have to agree or support what he says.

Just a thought, but maybe he directed his comment to Patrick as he was the one he was fighting with and TR took the fall because Patrick is afterall McDreamy. Just a thought.

I have a feeling the cast and audience were the big influences in letting him go. He should have, however, gotten a second chance.

[january]

Originally Posted by Crystal

I believe they didn't do that because they didn't want Dr. Preston Burke to literally disappear from the show without his story having a fitting end and ruining the dynamic Isaiah's character had with the other characters especially Cristina (played by Sandra Oh). The season finale set up his fairwell and come the new season things will be sort of explained on why Burke is no longer at the hospital.

Then they shouldn't have misled him with promises just so he could finish the season. If they were going to fire him, they should have just done so. In fact, what they did was make him jump through every hoop possible, saying it was to keep his job - the PR ads, the anger management, etc., and after they finished their finale they fired him anyway. That reeks to me. You can't make oral promises only to backpedal. That goes back to my original theory (which I've heard on television without pity, among other sources) that Heigl and Knight put pressure on the studio bosses that it was either him, or them. Which sucks.