Isaiah Says They Fired The Wrong Guy

"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."
from The Houston Chronicle

Isaiah Is Out

Isaiah Washington has lost his job on the hit ABC medical drama "Grey's Anatomy," five months after creating a furor with his use of an anti-gay slur.
Washington's contract option was not renewed for next season, series producer ABC Television Studios said Thursday.
"I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take it anymore," Washington said in a statement released through his publicist, Howard Bragman, without elaboration.
He drew fire after using the anti-gay epithet backstage at the Golden Globe Awards in January while denying he'd used it previously on the set against cast mate T.R. Knight.
Gay rights groups and cast member Katherine Heigl, who publicly denounced Washington, were among his most vocal critics.
"This is something that will have changed the scope of his life," Heigl told Entertainment Weekly last month. Washington was "sorry and embarrassed" for the mistake, she said.
Washington tried to make amends and said he was seeking therapy.
He also met with officials from the Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network and the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation and filmed a public service announcement in which he said "words have power" to hurt or heal.
The May finale of "Grey's Anatomy" opened the door for the departure of his character. Burke was on the verge of marrying Dr. Cristina Yang (Sandra Oh), but her doubts at first delayed and then derailed their splashy wedding.
Later, Yang found that Burke cleared out his favorite possessions from their apartment.
In May, Bragman said the actor intended to spend the summer working and not worrying about the show. Washington intended to continue his charity work in Sierra Leone, which a DNA test showed to be his ancestral home, and work on an independent movie.
from The Associated Press

Washington Remaining on Grey's Anatomy?

Isaiah Washington's Dr. Preston Burke packed his bags on the season finale of "Grey's Anatomy" but that doesn't mean the actor is being dumped by the show, his publicist said Friday.
"We fully expect to be back in the fall," spokesman Howard Bragman said. "The deal's not done but we have no reason to believe he won't be putting on the scrubs."
A furor over Washington's use of an anti-gay slur had provoked speculation that his job might be in jeopardy. He said the word backstage at the Golden Globe Awards in January while denying he'd used it previously against castmate T.R. Knight.
Thursday's finale seemed to open the door for the departure of Washington's character. Burke was on the verge of marrying Dr. Cristina Yang (Sandra Oh), but her doubts at first delayed and then derailed their splashy wedding.
"I'm up there waiting for you to come down the aisle and I know you don't want to come," Burke told a shocked Cristina. "If I loved you, I wouldn't be up there waiting for you. I would be letting you go."
Then he did just that. Later, Cristina found that Burke had cleared his favorite possessions out of their apartment.
ABC declined comment Friday on Washington's status.
But a source close to the production, speaking on condition of anonymity because she was not authorized to comment publicly, said the finale doesn't indicate that Washington is a goner from "Grey's."
"A lot of character story lines were left in question. It's a cliffhanger finale," the source said. "T.R's character looks like he could be going. ... It doesn't necessarily mean anything."
Knight's character, George O'Malley, was the only intern to fail the end-of-year exam and he was seen in the finale cleaning out his locker after deciding against repeating his intern stint.
Washington will spend the summer working, his publicist said, not worrying about the show. The actor leaves next week to continue his charity work in Sierra Leone, which a DNA test showed to be his ancestral home.
Washington, who started a nonprofit foundation last year to improve the lives of people in the West African nation, plans to deliver mosquito netting and check on a school he helped found.
He'll also spend part of his summer break working on an independent film, "The Least of These," Bragman said. Washington expects to be back at work on "Grey's Anatomy" when production resumes in August, he said.
Washington filmed a public service announcement on behalf of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation and the Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network after the flap. The spot is in post-production, a GLAAD spokesman said Friday.
from The Associated Press

Isaiah Hires Gay PR Firm

Controversial "Grey's Anatomy" star Isaiah Washington has a new man in his life.
TMZ has exclusively learned that Washington signed with PR crisis expert Howard Bragman and his company, Fifteen Minutes. Bragman started Fifteen Minutes PR in 2005 after selling powerhouse PR firm Bragman Nyman Cafarelli.
Interestingly, Bragman is openly gay and is the man responsible for the wildly successful launch of out and gay NBA center John Amaechi's best-selling book, "Man in the Middle," which was the subject of a homophobic slur by NBA car wash owner Tim Hardaway.
A source tells TMZ that Bragman is known for, "telling it like it is," to his clients, and that Isaiah will be no exception. Bragman's office confirmed that Washington is on board, and in a statement to TMZ said, "Our work with Isaiah is about his future -- not the past. There is an important dialogue in our society about diversity that needs to happen, and Isaiah is uniquely positioned to be the catalyst for this."
from TMZ

Here's The Dirt On Using This 'F' Word

Is a common epithet for homosexuals becoming a new N word, verboten in civil discourse?
Grey's Anatomy actor Isaiah Washington got into a world of trouble last week for twice using a homophobic slur starting with the letter F to describe castmate T.R. Knight, who was not pleased. Neither were gay and lesbian groups and Washington's bosses at ABC. The actor apologized and entered counseling.
But the media hubbub about the f-word — not that other f-word — has spotlighted a subtle shift in the national culture, showing how language and attitudes are connected and how the definitions of what is and isn't acceptable are changing.
"We are in a place where the words traditionally considered the most obscene — sexual and scatological words — are viewed as less and less offensive, while words that are ethnic and religious slurs have increased in offensiveness," says Jesse Sheidlower, editor at large of the Oxford English Dictionary.
The more we care what blacks, Hispanics or gays think, he says, "the more attuned we are to slurs against them."
Grey's co-star Katherine Heigl, Knight's pal, says the word should be "obliterated."
"It breeds hate," she said backstage at Sunday's Screen Actors Guild Awards.
It's not clear how the f-word came to have a homophobic meaning, Sheidlower says. Five hundred years ago, "faggot" meant a bundle of twigs or kindling, which gave rise to the British colloquialism "fag" for cigarette.
But, as is common in the English language, words with the same spelling and pronunciation can mean something entirely different. "No one knows the origin, but there's some evidence that (the term) may have referred to a bad-tempered woman in the 16th century," Sheidlower says.
"What is clear is that it is a word now used to denigrate and dehumanize people — and not just gay people," says Neil Giuliano, president of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD). "It's a tear-you-apart kind of a term."
But "queer" isn't, or at least not anymore. Not with Queer Eye for the Straight Guy and Queer as Folk on television, "queer studies" in universities, and groups such as the Queer Association of Scientists and Researchers.
"It's very different from the f-word because it's tied to (the meaning) 'strange' or 'odd,' " Giuliano says. Young gays "have reclaimed it and used it to self-identify."
In any case, both the f-word and the n-word have been heard on TV recently. In this week's episode of the tabloid drama Dirt, on cable's FX, a character uses the f-word to refer to a macho action star about to be outed. It has been used on episodes of The Sopranos, and gay activist/writer Larry Kramer titled his 1978 satirical novel Faggots. And the n-word, perhaps the most offensive of all slurs, was used — by black characters to other black characters — in recent episodes of Dirt and NBC's Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip.
"Context is everything," Dirt producer Matthew Carnahan says. "We certainly are not trying to spread anything even remotely resembling hatred or bigotry of any kind. This show is all about everyone being flawed, wild and crazy."
What if Washington had used "queer" instead of that f-word?
"It would have been just as bad because it was in the context of a put-down," Giuliano says. "The fortunate aspect of this unfortunate situation is that many more people will see that casual and mean-spirited use of this word is unacceptable."
from USA Today

Yet Another Actor Acting Out

Long before he became a co-star on the hit TV show "Grey's Anatomy," Isaiah Washington distinguished himself as an actor with an intellectual bent. In an essay published in Essence magazine a little more than a decade ago, he lamented the shortage of good roles for black male performers. After complaining about being offered five "drag-queen" roles in less than a year, Washington expressed his determination to "infuse the characters I play with some level of complexity and humanity."
In eloquent, thoughtful prose, Washington assured readers that he had no problem with gay characters or characters in drag. He recalled his first amateur acting job, the role of Sweetie Pie, "a flaming drag queen and gospel singer." Later, as a member of a touring repertory company, he played a cross-dressing character with AIDS. "That role gave me a firsthand look at gay-bashing," he wrote. "I was the target of angry expletives, jeers and nervous laughter and was even spat upon by a junior-high-school student who took my performance just a little too seriously."
He went on to praise the gay transvestites shown in the documentary "Paris Is Burning" while condemning Hollywood's "narrow depictions of African-American male characters."
That essay and other comments strongly suggested that Washington was a man of sensitivity and conscience, not just another hunk with cheekbones and charm. He confirmed this early impression with memorable appearances in films such as HBO's "Always Outnumbered" and Spike Lee's "Get on the Bus." In that film, Washington played one half of a gay couple.
All of which makes his recent meltdown as puzzling as it was repulsive. In a brief, tumultuous span, Washington notoriously invoked the word "faggot" -- twice -- with regard to a gay castmate. His cruel slur-slinging makes one wonder if his previous musings on "complexity" and "humanity" were merely pleasantries spun from a publicist's clever imagination.
Television and movie stars are seldom confused with brain surgeons, and hardly a news cycle passes without some dimpled dimwit choking on his or her own foot. Still, Washington, who won an NAACP Image Award just last year, has never seemed a likely candidate for such an appalling celebrity stumble. Unlike, say, Mel Gibson, whose father had been linked to anti-Semitic sentiment, or former Sen. George Allen, who had been known to keep a noose in his office, Washington had never toiled under a cloud of suspicion. If anything, he was known as a performer who could be counted on to say the right thing.
Describing himself as "always sensitive to my own community," he told the theater magazine Backstage, "I finally decided, 'I'm no longer going to play thugs or debauched cops that I can't possibly make complex characters. I'm bigger than that."
Now it seems that Washington has become a complex character himself; he doesn't just play one on TV. While rumors of his imminent dismissal swirled through cyberspace, Washington ran the gauntlet of repentance now required of errant celebrities: He fired his publicist, issued an abject apology and rushed to meet with representatives of the aggrieved party.
Officials from the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation and the Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network met with the actor on Jan. 22. As might be expected, they've adopted a polite, time-will-tell stance. GLSEN executive director Kevin Jennings said Washington "seemed to particularly appreciate the impact these words have on young people in schools and expressed an interest in becoming an ally in GLSEN's effort to educate young people about the negative impact of name-calling and bullying." Young people like that junior-high student who spat on Washington some years before.
Such a mission would certainly have appealed to that forthright essayist in Essence magazine, who impressively asserted, "I've always viewed acting as a way to explore important issues of the day, such as gender differences and sexuality." That's the kind of performing we'd all like to see from Washington, instead of merely acting out.
from The Washington Post / Jabari Asim

Gay Is The New Black

Click Image For Video

Comedienne Wanda Sykes joked to Ellen DeGeneres that African-Americans have "overcome" -- now that they are the ones dishing out bigoted comments instead of receiving them!
Sykes, guesting on Friday's episode of "The Ellen DeGeneres Show," made fun of the fact that Isaiah Washington was going to "rehab" after his homophobic comments about "Grey's Anatomy" co-star T.R. Knight. "Gay rehab? That sounds like traffic school. You should be able to do that online."
After opining on the irony of the whole situation, Sykes joked, "Maybe gay is the new black now."
from TMZ

Did GLAAD Make Us Happy?

Yesterday and today there was much speculation as to whether ABC would fire Isaiah Washington. Would they or wouldn’t they? To my mind, as soon as word leaked of Washington’s meeting yesterday with GLAAD and GLSEN (via joint press release) the writing was on the wall. My gut tells me ABC does not plan on sacking Washington. Instead, the network is doing what it can to rehabilitate his tarnished image. They enlisted the help of two established gay rights groups to do just that.
Turns out ABC was responsible for arranging the GLAAD/GLSEN meeting with Washington yesterday. Something they would not have done if they were truly planning on firing him. And maybe I’m a cynic, but the result of this ceremonial powwow was a foregone conclusion. It’s quite possible they had the press release drafted before the meeting ever started. The headlines read “Gay Leaders Applaud Washington for Willingness to Meet With Them.” Or “Washington Makes Amends with Gay Community“
I confess, I’m discouraged (though hardly surprised) that GLAAD (and GLSEN) would participate in this white-washing. But I do see the logic to it: GLAAD’s influence over the media establishment is limited. To get a (non-voting) seat at the table they must horse-trade with the very organizations they are tasked to monitor.
The trade provided here was effectively rubber-stamping Isaiah Washington’s “road to rehabilitation” and thus clearing a path for ABC to keep him. They do this in return for a few public service announcements and to bolster perceptions of their legitimacy and influence in the cultural landscape. I should clarify, I’m not knocking GLAAD and GLSEN’s objectives. They do very important work. Horse-trading is simply a necessary evil to achieve their honorable larger goals. Only, in this particular instance I’m not sure they made a good trade.
For their sakes, I hope Isaiah Washington doesn’t revert to homophobic form down the line — making fools of everyone involved in this rehabilitation charade.
In the meantime, looks to me like Washington stays on Grey’s Anatomy. Does anyone else think that may be the optimal result for the LGBT community? There’s a surprisingly large segment of the population that already sees him as the victim. Booting him from Grey’s only makes him a martyr.
from AfterElton / Dennis Ayers

Reichen Lehmkuhl On Isaiah Washington

Lance Bass' gay lover Reichen Lehmkuhl is glad Isaiah Washington's "faggot" outburst has turned the public against the actor - because it will hopefully prompt people to think twice before using the 'f' word. The former model has written a new book about his nightmare experiences as a homosexual in the military, and he believes the Washington controversy will further help people understand what gay men have to put up with. Lehmkuhl says, "It (Washington's controversy) dumps a lot of emotion on me. I think it brings the issue to light. A lot of people learn, when you use this word now, it's not OK." Washington has officially apologised for his use of the 'f' word at the Golden Globe Awards last week , admitting, in a statement released last week , he needs help. The controversy first came to light last October when Washington referred to gay Grey's Anatomy castmate T.R. Knight as a "faggot" in a heated on-set row with co-star Patrick Dempsey.
from Contact Music

Isaiah Washington: 'I Need Help'

HOLLYWOOD - Grey's Anatomy star Isaiah Washington has accepted he needs help after "marring" his castmates' magical night at the Golden Globe Awards on Monday by using an anti-gay slur in a press conference.
The actor grabbed the microphone in the press room, after picking up the Best TV Drama prize with his costars, and attempted to address ongoing reports about his on-set spat with fellow TV surgeon Patrick Dempsey.
Last October's fight started after Washington called gay costar T.R. Knight a "faggot," with Knight coming clean about his sexuality following the incident.
At the Globes, Washington blurted out the 'f' word as he foolishly insisted he never used the derogatory term, calling it "vile."
Knight has since appeared on TV talk show Ellen to confirm Washington did indeed refer to him as a “faggot” on the Grey's Anatomy set.
Bosses at ABC, which airs the show, have issued a statement criticizing Washington for his Golden Globes gaffe, with Washington coming forward to further apologize for his comments.
In a statement, released late yesterday the actor, who played a gay man in Spike Lee's Get on the Bus, said, "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.
"By repeating the word Monday night, I marred what should have been a perfect night for everyone who works on Grey's Anatomy. 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 know the power of words, especially those that demean. I realize that, by using one filled with disrespect, I have hurt more than T.R. and my colleagues. With one word, I've hurt everyone who has struggled for the respect so many of us take for granted."
Washington has accepted an invitation to meet with gay activists and hopes to talk to them about "what I can do to heal the wounds I've opened," adding, "I intend to let my future actions prove my sincerity."
As WENN went to press, more than 9,000 Grey's Anatomy fans had signed an Internet petition urging ABC bosses to fire Washington over his comments.
from Hollywood.com

Katherine Heigl Lashes Out At Co-Star Over Homophobic Slur

LOS ANGELES – "Grey's Anatomy" star Katherine Heigl is taking a stand against her "Grey's" co-star Isaiah Washington after he used a homophobic slur in the Golden Globes press room on Monday night.
"I am not okay with it," Heigl told Access Hollywood's Shaun Robinson, referring to Washington's remarks.
In the Globes press room on Monday, Washington tried to set the record straight in regards to reports in October of an on-set incident that resulted from the alleged use of a homophobic slur toward co-star T.R. Knight.
After a reporter questioned the validity of the on-set incident, Washington denied his involvement saying, "No, I did not call T.R. a faggot. Never happened, never happened."
In response to Washington's use of the slur when addressing the situation last night, Heigl spoke out.
"I'm going to be really honest right now, he needs to just not speak in public. Period. I'm sorry, that did not need to be said, I'm not okay with it," Katherine told Shaun.
When asked if she thought it was just an off-the-cuff remark, Heigl added, "I have no idea what it was, I just find it hurtful…I just feel like this is something that should be very much in house we need to deal with and it's among us and the cast and crew and among Shonda [Rimes, show creator] and the producers."
Heigl said that she hoped they work the situation out, making her loyalty to Knight, who plays Dr. George O'Malley on the hit show, clear.
"I don't think [Washington] means it the way he comes off…But, T.R. is my best friend. I will throw down for that kid. I will beat you up. I will use every ounce of energy I have to take you down if you hurt his feelings," she said.
When asked if she thought Knight was hurt by Washington's comments she added, "I don't see how you could not be under those circumstances. Drawing attention to it and saying the word again is just unnecessary."
After making his comments in the press room, Washington came straight to Access Hollywood's Billy Bush and Nancy O'Dell to explain.
"There is no way I could do anything so vile, and so horrible, not only to a castmate, but to a fellow human being," he insisted.
When asked what spurred his comments on the October incident Washington told Bush, "It's the truth. It did not happen. I was going to hire some other great shiny publicist, but you know what, God laid it on my heart to say it because it was so close. The reports were all wrong. It did not happen. I'm very disappointed that the New York Post actually wrote legitimately about something that was put in a tabloid about some angry person to get some validity to this, and then it just rippled."
Washington also said that he and co-star Patrick Dempsey have moved beyond the October incident.
"I kiss Patrick Dempsey. We sing 'Ebony and Ivory' everyday since the so-called incident and it hasn't come up. We purposely sing 'Ebony and Ivory' every night since October 9 and nobody has written about it," he added.
from Access Hollywood

Isaiah Washington Loves Gay

BEVERLY HILLS - "Grey's Anatomy" star Isaiah Washington, accompanied by his wife, shared a secret on the Golden Globes red carpet.

"I love gay.
I wanted to be gay," he said.
"Please let me be gay."

In October, Washington apologized for an on-set incident involving co-stars Patrick Dempsey and T.R. Knight during which Washington allegedly used a homophobic slur. Knight said last year he is gay.
from The Associated Press

Did "Grey's" Brawl Force Knight Out Of The Closet?

"Grey's Anatomy" star T.R. Knight told PEOPLE exclusively that he is gay. But was this coming out of his own free will, or as a result of the much-hyped fight between "Grey's" stars Isaiah Washington and Patrick Dempsey?
PEOPLE released a statement from Knight today that said, "While I prefer to keep my personal life private, I hope the fact that I'm gay isn't the most interesting part of me."
But the National Enquirer may have tipped us off to the story when they reported that during the fight between Washington and Dempsey, Washington yelled, "I'm not your little faggot like (name deleted)."
The Enquirer said they withheld the name of the co-star Washington mentioned "because of the extreme nature of the slur."
Does Knight's disclosure confirm the Enquirer's story?
Calls to Washington's reps were not immediately returned.
from TMZ