What did Isaiah Washington say to get fired? Shonda Rhimes says Grey’s Anatomy cast still traumatized by 2007 controversy

It has been almost two decades since Isaiah Washington got fired from Grey’s Anatomy. The incident that led to his ouster still seemingly traumatizes the show’s former cast as remarked by the showrunner Shonda Rhimes during a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter.

In the incident that reportedly happened in October 2006, Washington was involved in a physical altercation with co-star Patrick Dempsey. During their fight, the P-Valley actor allegedly used a homophobic slur pointed at his other co-star T.R. Knight. The controversy resurfaced at the Golden Globes 2007 in January, eventually leading to Washington’s firing.

Isaiah Washington denied using the homophobic slur aimed at Knight and was quoted saying in the pressroom,

“No, I did not call T.R. a f*****. Never happened. Never happened.”

A couple of days later, Knight appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, claiming that the slur used by his Grey’s Anatomy co-star led him to come out. He told Ellen,

“It’s an awesome word, isn’t it? I’ve never been called that to my face. So I think when that happened, something shifted, and it became bigger than myself.”

He explained how his friends on Grey’s Anatomy’s set knew about his s**uality, but after the incident, T.R. Knight confirmed the same to People to “make a statement.” The actor told DeGeneres,

“He [Isaiah Washington] referred to me as a f*****. Everyone heard it.”

Washington soon apologized for his comments in the Golden Globes press room. He also issued a statement,

“I apologize to T.R., my colleagues, the fans of the show and especially the lesbian and gay community for using a word that is unacceptable in any context or circumstance.”

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ABC addressed Isaiah Washington’s Golden Globes statement that ultimately led to his firing

The network also addressed the situation after the Hurricane Season actor’s comments at the Golden Globes and his apology. Asserting its workplace policy, ABC Entertainment referred to the original October 2006 incident, which was previously considered “resolved.”

The statement issued in January 2007 reads,

“We have a long-standing policy to create and maintain respectful workplaces for all our employees. We dealt with the original situation in October, and thought the issue resolved.”

It continues,

“We are greatly dismayed that Mr. Washington chose to use such inappropriate language at the Golden Globes, language that he himself deemed ‘unfortunate’ in his previous public apology. We take this situation very seriously. His actions are unacceptable and are being addressed.”

Later that year, in June, Isaiah’s contract was not renewed by the network, leading to his departure from the subsequent seasons of the show. The actor later appeared on CNN’s Larry King Live, where he proclaimed that he did say the homophobic slur but did not direct it at anyone.

He said,

“I said there's no way you're going to treat me like a "B" word or a "P" word or the "F" word. You can't treat me this way in front of our crew.”

Explaining the context behind using the “F” word, Isaiah Washington said,

“Just, in terms of the way I meant it is that any… the "F" word to me, at that particular time, before this took off in this other direction, in terms of s**ual orientation, it meant something… it meant, to me, someone who is being weak…”

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Shonda Rhimes reveals that the previous cast is still traumatized by the incident involving Isaiah Washington

Grey’s Anatomy showrunner, Shonda Rhimes, was recently interviewed by The Hollywood Reporter. The medical drama is in its 21st season, but the executive producer feels that one incident involving Isaiah Washington and Patrick Dempsey might have ended it all. Addressing it as a “thorn,” Rhimes said,

“I think the thorn was having the bubble of joy burst so early on Grey’s [with the Washington incident] and not having anybody interested in helping us deal with it.”

She added,

“I mean, that was the thing we thought was going to kill the show. And it’s funny, every Grey’s actor I talk to who was there during that time is still traumatized by that incident. People still talk about it.”

Grey’s Anatomy Season 21 premiered in September last year and will end on May 15, 2025. The show is yet to be renewed for its 22nd iteration by ABC.