Isaiah Washington has broken his silence about being fired from Grey’s Anatomy.
“I’m saddened by the outcome,” Washington, 43, tells Entertainment Weekly. “I did everything that the producers and the network asked me to do. I came back under great duress and stress, and thought I was doing the job I was hired to do.”
Washington learned last week that the network would not renew his option for season four. At the time he issued a statement through his publicist saying: “I’m mad as hell and I’m not going to take it any more.”
“[Grey's creator] Shonda Rhimes called me on Thursday of last week and told me that I would not be returning to the show,” Washington says. “Just like she personally called me and invited me to the show. It was full circle.”
The rest of the cast heard Thursday night of the final decision, which, a source told PEOPLE at the time, was reached because Washington’s behavior had made him a liability.
Washington tells EW he hasn’t heard from many of his costars. “Everyone is still on vacation. I don’t expect to hear from my castmates. I did talk to Chandra Wilson and I got a text message from Kate Walsh. Everyone’s doing their own thing.”
Asked if he’s still on good terms with Knight, Washington says: “I don’t know. You have to ask T.R. that.”
Washington, whose character broke up with his fiancée, Christina Yang (Sandra Oh) and moved out of their apartment last season, says he doesn’t expect to be asked to return for a cameo on Grey’s. “If Shonda calls me and says, ‘Look we want you to do something for Grey’s Anatomy,’ I probably would not hesitate. But I don’t really see that happening.”
He’s now working on an indie thriller, The Least of These, and he isn’t dwelling on whether the firing will affect his career. “I can only apologize so many times,” he says. “I can only accept so much responsibility. All the players involved have taken care of what we needed to take care of in-house – and the media took it in a different direction. I hope that everyone is happy for the outcome for Isaiah, but Isaiah will go on and do what I love to do.”
Source: People.com
I really love Dr Burke. Please don’t fire him. this movie will never be same again
Regarding the Isaiah Washington / T.R. Knight Media Frenzy that was SHOVED down the throats of the viewing public, WHILE TRUE UNDERLYING ISSUES GO UNADDRESSED.
Isaiah Washington whose family history in this country is one of SLAVERY and Segregation and T.R. Knight a white, gay male are INDIVIDUALS who are members of groups who still face discrimination in this country. It would be remiss of me not to point out that one’s sexual orientation can be concealed while the color of one’s skin / ethnic features are in plain site for all to see and America is a country where at one time Lynching Blacks was the sport of the day.
It is an insult to my spiritual evolution as a fellow human being on this planet of EARTH that the MEDIA inundates me and others with Bull$hit words to try to get US to ponder a question of whether or not Isaiah Washington is homophobic – In my heart of hearts (deep in my soul), I KNOW that Isaiah Washington is NOT homophobic. What Isaiah (the INDIVIDUAL) MAY BE is a challenging personality to work with and/or get along with. He may have RAGE issues (go figure, a descendant of SLAVES with rage issues).
There are those who feel that YOU people (Blacks) should JUST GET OVER SLAVERY, it happened a long time ago, move on already. First, and foremost, each of US is an “INDIVIDUAL†who happens to be from Slave Ancestry in America. Most of US are still dealing with issues from Slavery and more recently “Segregation†and DON’T realize it. One cannot begin to address these issues if one does not know that there are issues and where they originate. The Comedian, Chris Rock said it best when he said, America, for Blacks, is like the uncle who pays your way through college, but RAPED you when you were younger. MOST would not tell someone who was RAPED to “Just Get Over It.†A guest from the Oprah Show UPDATED the old adage about “TIME†perfectly when she said, “Time alone does not heal anything, it is what is done in that time that makes the difference†– which are words that resonate in my soul.
It is further insulting, ridiculous, A TOTAL WASTE OF PRECIOUS TIME to have Isaiah Washington in therapy FOR what he said, may or may not have said about T.R. Knight’s sexual orientation and then to have him make what “I Felt†was a Ridiculous service announcement (BECAUSE OF ITS TIMING – on the heels of the “Gay slur MEDIA FRENZYâ€) at the end of one of Grey’s episodes. Yes, I believe that Isaiah would greatly benefit from therapy (as would ALL descendants of SLAVES in America) PROVIDED the “REAL†issues are being addressed instead of going to therapy “IN HOPES†of saving one’s job.
Isaiah most likely should have some form of therapy to deal with RAGE issues and/or to develop better life / work coping skills. In the office next door to Isaiah and his therapist should be T.R. Knight with his therapist dealing with T.R.’s issues surrounding his sexual orientation because T.R.’s “reaction†to Isaiah’s behavior is indicative of “ISSUES T.R. Needs to Address.â€
I read somewhere someone’s wording to the effect that Isaiah as a black man “should know better†than to use a sexual slur, most likely having had racial slurs directed at him. What we as individuals should know / do know (Intellect) vs. How We Behave (Emotion) most often are light years apart, hence my use of the words “spiritual evolution as fellow human beings.†On a number of occasions I had to “remind†my sister (1 yr. younger than me) that I understand her pain (I can feel her pain); however, she can’t take it out on US (her siblings, her husband, her daughter) because each of us are dealing with our own “personal†life challenges and that WE (her siblings) came from the same “screwed-up†Parents she did.
America STOP THE INSANITY of forcing us to pretend we love/like each other and START PROMOTING getting along with one another in spite of our likes and/or dislikes – Respecting one another’s Right to Co-exist and Benefit EQUALLY from the opportunities that America offers.
The Non-Renewal of Contract / Firing of Isaiah Washington is sooooooo much bigger than the individual. The handling of the situation is a MAJOR SETBACK to race relations in this country. This situation reeks of “OLD, Backwards Thinking†America trying to keep a black man down – keeping him in his place, after all can’t allow him to think he’s equal to a “White†man in America.
NO, Isaiah Washington SHOULD NOT have been fired. Nor should T.R. Knight for the “role†he played in this debacle (he is EQUALLY responsible along with Isaiah for this situation). They should both have been reprimanded and required to attend “REAL†(genuine) therapy sessions. THE ONLY FIRING needed is to “Line the MEDIA up against a wall†and have a FIRING SQUAD unload a Million Rounds of Ammunition into their Low-Life human forms.
At the first sign of friction amongst the diverse cast members it would have BENEFITTED America as a whole to bring in a Therapist / Relationship Expert to address “core†issues before the “Parasitic†MEDIA could get wind of “trouble†on the set.
With the absence of Isaiah, I have NO interest in Grey’s Anatomy and I will no longer watch the show. SHAME ON Any and ALL individuals who played a part in the firing of Isaiah Washington – UNDO THIS ! ! !
I hope my “words are received†in the spirit in which they are intended – Honest, Respectful, America RACE discussion.