In conversation with TMZ, former Grey's Anatomy actor Isaiah Washington is claiming that he was fired from the show over false accusations due to racism from ABC executive Howard Davine. He also told the outlet that Shonda Rhimes agrees with his accusations of racism against the executive.
In 2007, Washington was fired from the show after an on-set fight with Patrick Dempsey in which he allegedly used the word "faggot" in reference to costar T.R. Knight. He later apologized for the incident, shot a PSA for GLAAD, and denies calling Knight the slur to his face. However, he was not asked to return to the show's next season.
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"I’m saddened by the outcome," he told Entertainment Weekly back in 2007. "I did everything that the producers and the network asked me to do. I came back under great duress and stress, and thought I was doing the job I was hired to do. I thought that was going to speak for my future at Grey’s, but apparently that wasn’t the same vision that the network and studio had for me."
Now, he's claiming that the controversy and subsequent dismissal was the result of racism from executive VP Howard Davine. Just as damning, he says Rhimes herself agrees with his assessment of Davine, and his distaste for the network.
"I just had an hour conversation with Shonda Rhimes, and she said, and I quote, that she has nothing good to say about ABC, or Howard Davine, and his racist, biased, behavior," Washington told TMZ. "And she thinks, like Time's Up, that he needs to be thoroughly investigated."
Refinery29 has reached out to Rhimes and ABC for comment.
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