Exclusive: Isaiah Washington Returning To ‘Grey’s Anatomy’

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Exclusive: Isaiah Washington Returning To ‘Grey’s Anatomy’

Posted at 06/22/2009 by HListed Staff 2 Comments

Isaiah Washington

EXCLUSIVE: Isaiah Washington is returning to the ABC hit drama Grey’s Anatomy as early as next season, a source with knowledge of the development exclusively tells HListed.*

Washington was fired from the show in June 2007 after an on-set fight.

The news comes as the show’s creator and executive producer, Shonda Rhimes, today confirmed the (long rumored) departure of actor T.R. Knight.

She said in a written statement: “I think I speak for the entire Grey’s Anatomy family when I say we wish T.R. Knight the best in his future endeavors. He is an incredibly talented actor and a person whose strength of character is admired by all of us.”

Here’s a replay of the scandal, via Los Angeles Times‘ Show Tracker:

In October 2006, [Knight's] fellow cast mates Patrick Dempsey and Isaiah Washington had an on-set fight during which Washington reportedly referred to Knight as “a faggot.” At the time, Knight had not yet come out publicly as gay, but he did so shortly after that widely publicized incident.

Knight and Katherine Heigl, his close friend who plays Izzie Stevens, were unhappy that Washington was allowed to remain on “Grey’s” for the rest of the season, particularly after the actor repeated the slur in front of press backstage after the show won a Golden Globe for best drama.

For the past year, the scandal-prone show has been beset by rumors that both Heigl and Knight wanted to leave for good. And in February, James Pickens Jr. (“The Chief”) further fueled speculation when he told Us Weekly that both actors would indeed go.

Knight is planning to return to the theater, with a role in a Los Angeles revival of the 1998 musical Parade. His former Grey’s co-star, Chandra Wilson, is spending her summer on Broadway, starring as Matron “Mama” Morton in CHICAGO.

* HListed will update with a forthcoming response from the actor’s representative(s).