Isaiah Washington Reignites Feud With Former ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Costar Katherine Heigl
Nov. 18 2020, Published 5:23 p.m. ET
Bringing up old wounds! Isaiah Washington reignited his feud with former costar Katherine Heigl via Twitter on Monday, November 16, almost 10 years after his exit from Grey's Anatomy.
“This woman once proclaimed that I should ‘never’ be allowed to speak publicly again. The world agreed with her proclamation back then and protested for my job and my head in 65 languages. I wish I was on Twitter in 2007, because I will NEVER stop exercising my free speech,” Washington, 57, wrote alongside a photo of Heigl, 41.
The "proclamation" the actor is referring to occurred in October 2006 when it was reported that Washington — who viewers will remember as Dr. Preston Burke — used a homophobic slur during an argument with Patrick Dempsey (Derek Shepherd) at the time. A few months later, fellow former Grey's star T.R. Knight revealed during an October 2007 episode of The Ellen Degeneres Show that hearing Washington use the word “f----t” encouraged him to come out as gay.
Washington subsequently denied using the slur, which led Heigl (Izzie Stevens) to tell Access Hollywood that he “needs to just not speak in public, period.” After the scandal broke, ABC announced that Washington would not be returning to season 4 of Grey’s Anatomy. He admitted to using the slur during an interview on Larry King Live in July 2017.
As for why Washington went on Twitter Monday to bring up the scandal, he addressed this in another social media post saying, "Because it’s the TRUTH. The End." He also referred to Heigl as “the first Karen” and brought Chandra Wilson (Miranda Bailey) into the drama.
“Your opinions are your own, but you are a fool, a liberal and misguided feminist to even try and defend this woman,” The 100 star wrote in response to a fan. “You weren’t there, so die on this hill, whoever you are. She could have cared less about her gay friend. Chandra Wilson knows all about that too.”
Heigl has yet to publicly address Washington, but a source close to The Ugly Truth star told Us Weekly that she's "proud" to have stood up for Knight.
Never Miss an
Daily updates from the heart of Hollywood, right to your inbox
By entering your email and clicking Sign Up, you’re agreeing to let us send you customized marketing messages about us and our advertising partners. You are also agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
“Katherine stood up for her close friend twice when Isaiah publicly outed him and called him a f----t. That’s hate talk, not free speech,” the insider said. “She is proud that she stood up for him. Katherine is and always will be an advocate and ally to LGBTQ community.”
