Whatever the reason Grey’s Anatomy star T.R. Knight decided to confirm to People magazine yesterday that he’s gay, I’m hoping that at the very least, his announcement will help annihilate the tired old argument that actors can’t come out of the closet because then audiences wouldn’t be able to buy them in heterosexual roles. After all, is there a person alive who can say this revelation negates Knight’s wildly convincing work on Grey’s last season, particularly the way he turned sad-sack George’s unrequited love for Meredith into something painfully palpable? Similarly, does this niblet of information about Knight’s off-screen love life lessen the maddening/adorable dynamic that George has developed this year with orthopedic surgeon Callie? And if you’ve answered "yes" to either of the above questions, doesn’t it say more about your own personal hang-ups then about Knight’s abilities as an actor?
Yeah, I know as your friendly, neighborhood, gay blogger, I carry my own heavy bias into this discussion, but seriously, once the dust settles on the Grey’s set — with regard to Knight’s news, as well as the current kerfuffle with McAngry — wouldn’t it be grand if audiences treated Knight just like any other actor, judging him on his performances, not on who he loves? As Knight said himself, "I hope the fact that I’m gay isn’t the most interesting part of me." Well said, brother. Now go make things right with hot tamale Callie or I’ll wring your indecisive neck!
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Agreed, and agreed, Mr Slezak. But isn’t it a little funny that the gay actor got paired up with the Tony winner… hmmm? But then again, if it were Sara Ramirez, I would definately pursue her.
away with Isaiah Washington
Amen!
Now, write something about NBC chickening out and planning not to include the beautiful and relevant rendition of “Live to Tell” in Madonna’s upcoming special. T.R. said so himself: his being gay is not that interesting because it doesn’t define him.
There are far more pressing stories out there.
This being EW.com, I think analyzing the reasoning for a network that famously aired a show in which contestants ate bull testes and airs violent content in some of its shows, to essentially censor the artistic freedom of one of the most relevant artists in modern history, is far more interesting.
I’ve watched the show once and figured that out immediately. Even a blind squirrel could have scene that one!!
Just saw the earlier post.
Tee-hee.
m.
I think this confirms the hateful bias of Mr. Washington. Afterall, the fight on the set was the result of him calling someone a “F—-”. Now we know it wasn’t just a general insult, but the attack of an intolerant man against a co-worker’s personal lifestyle.
haha you called him mcangry. that’s hilarious, and i don’t even watch the show. but seriously i think it’s wonderful that he put it the way he did, not wishing it to be “the most interesting part.” clearly his work is the most interesting part, if he can convince everyone of an (i think?) unrequited heterosexual love for another character. in fact i think (tho it’s lame to say) that it makes his credentials as an actor even more credible if he convinced everybody watching the show. haha mcangry
Agree, Mr. Knight, is not only an amazingly hearbreakingly good actor. For the past two years he has imbued O’malley with soul and grace. He is the one actor who has given a solid emmy winning performance since episode one.
Someone needs to give TR Knight an Emmy for his performance on this show. His performance regarding love for Meredith and Callie are awesome considering he wouldn’t find them attractive in the least outside of work. Besides his already great body of work on the show, playing opposite his real-life preferences an Emmy is more than deserved.
Mozz, by emmy winning you meant emmy deserving. He has not won an Emmy, this show has not won an Emmy, it’s truly sad that the emmy’s are the award system that recognizes excellence in television, since they always chose mediocrity over excellence, so I’m afraid Mr. Knight may never indeed win one, he is just too good.
Well said Mr. Slezak.
On my personal blog, a thing went around to pick the ten fictional characters you would like to date. George made mine because Knight has filled his performance with a vibe that excudes a self-conscious sexiness, a mixture of dork and sensitive, that he feels like a real person… someone you would be friends with or want to date in real life.
I love him even MORE now, but yes, he’s an amazing actor and it’s too bad it had to come out of such unfortunate circumstances.
he’s the last person on the show i would pick as gay, and i usually think most of hollywood is gay. i guess that means he’s a great actor…he acts the pining away, love sick for meredith puppy dog very believably..
if i had to pick a gay person on the show, i would choose ellen pompeo as a lesbian. have you seen her effeminate ‘boyfriend’? what’s up with that????
Doesn’t anyone read all the news out there? They are looking to get rid of Isaiah W. and re-cast him. Three actors are in contention. This was a terrible thing he did, it was a slur, and if it was a racial slur or ethnic slur he would have been fired on the spot.
Go TR i love you!
You deserve an emmy!
I am glad he came out. Mind, I don’t know the proper way to say this but I will say it anyway. I don’t know why the dorky guy is ascribed with heterosexuality, generally, usually, as if that middle type for a gay guy is negated for either some guy more effeminate or more butch, yet it is. And he is a cutie, so go him.
“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.”
This is an excellent point. He came out but the message that he is trying to convey is it should not matter if he is straight or gay. He’s human, he walks, he talks, and can make coleslaw! Now we just have to leave Clay Aiken alone.
Do you all know something I don’t? I thought the fight was between Patrick Dempsey and Isaiah Washington. I have not heard anything about the fight having to do with TR Knight or his sexuality. Please, do tell. Thanks.
you know its funny because the whole bitchfight over at grey’s sounds so much like…grey’s. like the writers hypnotized the actors. and as usual, george is the sane one. and yeah, more george and callie. just don’t turn him into meredith. the writing during the whole callie moves in angst thing was suspiciously mcdesperate like…or else they hired the whole writing staff at gilmore girls. either way, don’t do it anymore okay?
When Eric McCormack (Will of ‘Will & Grace’) annonunced that he was straight, nobody made a big deal out of it. I don’t understand why T.R. Knight’s sexual orientation is a news story. Has ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ already jumped the shark?
Wow, I had no idea that the National Enquirer was thought to be a reliable news source, but since that’s where the story broke, we should believe it 100% and therefore understand that Mr. Washington deserves to be instantly guilty and booted from the show. It’s much easier that way, isn’t it?
karen: washington made an ugly remark about knight and dempsey came to his defence. that’s how the whole thing began.
Why are people acting like all of this is well-known and factual events when it hasn’t even been confirmed (re: the homophobic comments supposedly made by Washington)?
Good for him. That’s hot.
We all like to pretend it’s not a big deal, but this blog audience is the Choir. A lot of the country will be fascinated and think they need to make some kind of important decision about the show. Remember that most people are idiots, so it was a daring move to just hit it and throw yourself to the lions. But with any luck, maybe our yawns will be contagious.
It’s called “acting” folks. The man is a pretty darn good actor, so why should anyone be surprised that he can play a straight character so convincingly? Who cares if he’s gay or not? I’ve not heard that the Dempsey-Washington bout was due to a slur that Washington made about Knight’s sexuality. If it that was indeed the cause, then shame on Washington. It would seem that he, more than most, should be above bigotry of any kind.
I am more shocked that Slezak is gay to be honest…anyway it doesn’t matter who is gay or not…my girlfriend says she wasn’t surprised by this though…go figure!
I’m not going to let this revelation affect my viewing habits, certainly. As much as I support actors coming out of the closet, I’m still not going to watch yet another romantic drama set in a hospital.
I had no idea, but I think it’s rather awesome that he’s willing to be open about it. It won’t change the way I feel about George, or Grey’s, one bit. If anything, it makes me respect him more as an actor, because he plays George so well.
Much love, TR.
For those who think that the fight between Demsey & Washington on-set when Patrick Demsey came to TR’s defense over the “supposed homosexual slur” is a National Inquirer fabrication, then I implore you to simply use your head & think for a moment. When the fight broke out last week, the story was surrounded in so much mystery & vagueness, that you had to know therw as more to the sotry than being leaked out to the press. Flashforward a little over a week later, & T.R. Knight just HAPPENS to decide to come out of the closet. If you honestly don’t think the fight and T.R.’s coming out are connected then you shouldn’t even be READING this blog, because you LIVE in a television soap where, I guess reality doesn’t happen unless its scripted for you!!!
Kudos for T.R. Knight for coming out, although i’m sorry it had to be under these circumstances. as a gay man, I don’t think its a big deal that he’s announced he’s gay, but I do believe the bigger story is that there is a bigot on the cast of one of television’s most successful current dramas. Its sad. And its even sadder since a friend of mine was actually gay bashed 3 weeks ago & needs plastic surgery to reconstruct his face. The hatred that still exists in today’s society is disgusting, but if anything I thought Hollywood was alot more understanding to homosexuals, I guess I was wrong. Isaiah Washington, I truly hope that some of this story is exaggerated & that you didn’t make such an incendiary comment towards your co-star.
I’m not sure why, but this was not shocking at all. I mean, I actually thought he had already come out. Or I was just assuming he was gay. Nothing to do with his performance, he embodies George O’Malley with plenty of hetero angst, I’m guessing it was based on interviews.
The big shocker was how much of a bigot Isaiah Washington is. As someone who has enjoyed his performances for years, that was very disappointing.
Honestly, I really could not care less about anyone’s off-screen sexuality. No one seems to think that its necessary for a heterosexual pair to potentially be a “real” couple offscreen to enjoy them on a show or in a movie, so why should it be any different if one of the actors is gay.
I mean, seriously, does anyone really even care if two heterosexual actors playing a couple have any feelings of sexual attraction for each other if they’re talented enough to be convincingly in love on the show? We certainly don’t consider it a pre-requisite for them to be able to give a good performance. Guess what? It’s the same deal if there’s a homosexual performer involved. The lack of sexual attraction to their acting partner doesn’t have to have any effect on their portrayal of a couple if the talent is there.
I can’t wait for the day when this is a complete non-issue.