It’s been well over a decade since Isaiah Washington was fired from Grey’s Anatomy for hurling a homophobic slur at T.R. Knight on set, but the actor hasn’t let it go. Isaiah, 57, randomly reignited his feud with former Grey’s co-star Katherine Heigl, who publicly supported Isaiah being let go from the ABC drama, in a November 16 tweet. Isaiah posted a red carpet photo of the Suits star, accusing her of blocking his “free speech.”
“This woman once proclaimed that I should ‘never’ be allowed to speak publicly again,” Isaiah tweeted. “The world agreed with her proclamation back then and protested for my job and my head in 65 languages. I wish I was on Twitter in 2007, because I will NEVER stop exercising my free speech.” Isaiah, who played Dr. Preston Burke on Grey’s, was accused by T.R. (who is gay) of calling him a “f****t” during an on-set argument with co-star Patrick Dempsey. Isaiah initially denied the allegations, getting himself into deeper water.
“No, I did not call T.R. a f****t. Never happened, never happened,” he said in the Golden Globes press room that year, using the homophobic slur again. Katherine, who left Grey’s herself in 2010, criticized Isaiah while speaking to Access Hollywood following the Golden Globes snafu. “I’m going to be really honest right now, he needs to just not speak in public. Period,” she said. “I’m sorry, that did not need to be said, I’m not okay with it. I just feel like this is something that should be very much in-house we need to deal with… T.R. is my best friend. I will throw down for that kid.”
Isaiah later apologized to T.R. and the LGBTQ community in a statement, writing, “I can neither defend nor explain my behavior. I can also no longer deny to myself that there are issues I obviously need to examine within my own soul, and I’ve asked for help. “I hold his talent, and T.R. as a person, in high esteem. I know a mere apology will not end this, and I intend to let my future actions prove my sincerity.”