Isaiah Washington: Grey's "Fired the Wrong Guy"
Isaiah Washington by Bob D'Amico/ABC
This story has more wrinkles than Abe Vigoda. In a candid interview with the
Houston Chronicle,
Isaiah Washington says, "They fired the wrong guy," positing that contrary to popular belief, the anti-gay slur he spewed during the infamous on-set row with Patrick Dempsey was not aimed squarely at
T.R. Knight, though the now-out
Grey's Anatomy cast member has said that it was. "That's a lie," Washington says, suggesting that
Knight was the one responsible for creating a negative workplace environment, and used the incident as leverage for increases in pay and amount of screen time.
As first hinted in TVGuide.com's
Ausiello Report, Washington confirms he is pondering a lawsuit against ABC, saying, "My livelihood, my honor, my dignity and my name have been so challenged." He then cops to making three errors in judgment: "Believing the cast... 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."
Matt here. At this point, I believe closure to this saga can only truly be offered by
Patrick Dempsey, who was directly involved in the original heated exchange. But, as it may turn out, I suppose that is what subpoenas are for.
