I’ve been blogging about Isaiah-gate since last October, and I’ve got to admit it: last night’s announcement that Isaiah Washington won’t be returning to Grey’s Anatomy next season has me feeling, well, not much of anything. Mostly, I’m exhausted from reading, thinking, and talking about the whole behind-the-scenes mess. Sure, on some level, this kerfuffle and its fallout raise important and interesting questions: What kind of language and behavior in the workplace crosses the line from unacceptable to fire-able? (I’ve tried to imagine how uncomfortable I’d feel working along someone who dropped an enraged ‘f*****’ bomb in my direction during a physical altercation with a third party.) For us consumers of pop culture, at what point does a celebrity’s off-camera behavior get in the way of our ability to enjoy and appreciate his or her work? (Being completely honest, I’ve not only remained a faithful Grey’s viewer for the past season, but one who’s been fully invested in Washington’s Burke-Cristina storyline.) Where does Washington’s alleged bad act fall on the scale of Mel Gibson’s sexist, anti-Semitic rant and Paris Hilton’s DUI arrest — and in that context, does his subsequent punishment seem fitting?
Washington certainly hasn’t helped his own case, given the sluggishness of his public apology, his second use of ‘f*****’ at the Golden Globe awards, his lackluster PSA, and especially the statement his publicist issued last night (a quote from the 1976 film Network): "I’m mad as hell, and I’m not going to take it anymore." Seriously? I mean, why didn’t someone on Washington’s team dissuade him from releasing such a loopy parting shot? And does he really think that now is the time to choose defiance over contrition? Anyhow, I’ve blogged my last about this brouhaha, so I pass the podium to you, PopWatchers, to have the final word.
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Finally everyone can stop talking about this whole Isaiah Washington ordeal. I don’t care that he got fired. I just care about what’s going to happen to George next season…. the horroe of him havign to repeat his entire year over! AAGGGH! But you know, they’ll probably figure out a way for him to get around it.
I do not condone homophobia in any way, shape, or form. However, as a recent high school grad, I was surprised at all the controversy. In school, the the word ‘f-bomb’ was used all the time. And it didn’t necessarily refer to a person’s sexuality. Just like the word ‘retarded’ was used in a bad situation. (I.E. That is so retarded). I don’t know. Maybe my pampered ass just has to get out in the real world. And the weirdest thing is I have never seen an episode of this show in my life.
i’m glad just because burke’s storyline wasn’t that good anymore, and isaiah seems like an a-hole anyways…
I am tired of this stuff. A) it ruins the cliffhangers that the fictional show set up, leaving us with bitter actors to look at. B) it makes us ignore good work out there; just saw “Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip” last night and this is finally a good show! Topical punchlines, and touchy subjects compounding on top of one another. This is the show that should have been on last fall. It highlights what topics should be water cooler events by going backstage at the center of a highly political yet super watched show (totally fictional). C) Washington is a fine actor, but a moron. People work so hard to get where he got and he screws it up! People like that, talent or not, deserve to be kicked off the air. But thanks to tmz.com we can keep up with people who should not be on the air all the time (Paris, Isaiah) D) What ever happened to REAL tabloid sensations like Divine
Although Isaiah may not be the nicest guy, I think it’s mistake for ABC to let him go. I really liked his character on Greys and liked the coupling of Burke and Christina. While he may be an ass, he is a good actor.
Good, it’s over with. Can’t stand the controversy anymore. They need to clean up the cast anyway. Along with Isaiah (McFruity), remove Ellen Pompeo (McInNeedOfMakeup) and Eric Dane (McEyelashLess) and you got a better looking cast. By the way, Supernatural on the CW – same date and time – has alot better looking cast members and are more easy on the eyes.
People do take into account an actor’s behavior off camera (see Tom Cruise’s box office post couch-jumping). Others are given a pass (see Alec Baldwin – 30 Rock). Isaiah has no one to blame but himself for his current situation. That being said, I think ABC should either have fired him after the GG incident or forever held their peace. Keeping him around for stability of the show and then firing him after the season is disingenuous. You either tolerate his behavior or you don’t.
Completely agree with cookie monster that this kind of info ruins the cliffhangers.
Don’t worry about him. He is an actor. Isaiah will charm his way into some acting job or janitorial position. I will be happy to buy him his first pair of work gloves.
“I’m mad as hell, and I’m not going to take it anymore.”???? Does this guy live on the same planet with the rest of us? I know actors get out of touch, but???
good…I was wondering how they were going to get George to sleep with Christina. Now that she wont be with Burke, George can complete the trifecta of Izzie, Meridith, and Christia…with Callieon the side. By the 2008 season he will shag bailey and the chief as well
I’ve never watched Grey’s Anatomy, and I never will. But I won’t shed any tears for Isiah. Dude didn’t seem apologetic to me; if he’d shown genuine contrition, he’d still be on the show.
I know everyone is sick of the story. There is so much media and so much time to fill, any situation is greatly overexposed.
The bottom line is that f word is offensive to a segment of the population. No matter how many times someone has said it or heard it, it’s still very derogatory.
As a gay black man, I was disgusted with Washington’s use(s) of the word f*****. Glad to see him gone, though I’ve never seen an episode of GA. I was also disgusted by his standing ovation at the NAACP, my people get it together. It’s not good to award hate, praise hate or stand up for hate, it is however, awesome to fire hate!
Although this whole issue DOES raise some of the interesting questions Slezak alluded to, I too am tired of reading about this issue.
That’s mostly because I’ve been pretty convinced that ever since it happened he wouldn’t be back next year. Add to that the fact that his character COMPLETELY left Seattle at the end of the season finale, and the announcement that he won’t be returning to the show next year this week (and the subsequent brouhaha) seem painfully superfluous to me.
I think the thing that makes Washington’s situation from Gibson’s on a professional level is that Washington was at work while engaging in the physical altercation and dropping the f-word. While Mel’s behavior was just as deplorable, he was not on the clock when it went down. If he had been on the job when that took place than he should have been immediately dismissed. As far as Paris, what’s happening with her is just another example of how money and fame can buy injustice in our legal system. Sad but true.
I’m not a fan of Gray’s, but I know was offended when I heard about what Washington had said, and then again when he repeated it again later, just as I was offended by Gibson’s anti-semitic rant and will be offended the next time someone expresses hatred of a category of people based on factors that aren’t under their own control (in other words, someone expressing hatred of murderers, go for it – I’ll even agree with you; expressing hatred for someone based on their race, religion or sexuality? not so much.)
So, I’m glad to see that Washington got fired. He dug his own grave on this one – first by not admitting to what he’d said and, thereby, showing no remorse for it, second by repeating the slur and showing no remorse for having done that, and third by doing such a cheesy PSA where it’s obvious he doesn’t believe what he’s saying. If he’d admitted to what he’d done, SINCERELY apologized and genuinely worked to change, that I could forgive. But the attitude he showed? Forget it!
Even though I really liked the Burke character, I’m so relieved Washington was fired. I work in an office, and if one of my colleagues had physically attacked someone (Dempsey) and called another (Knight) a homophobic slur, he would have been fired on the spot. Washington created a hostile work environment for his co-workers, and that is unnacceptable no matter what type of work you do.
I’m offended that people think an argument (no matter how stupid and offensive the language used) with a castmate is a fire-able offense just because Washington happens to work on a TV show. Not showing up to work (a la Lindsay Lohan) is unprofessional. An altercation should be solved by an apology–and not necessarily a public one, at that. I hope the firing is actually a response to a larger problem and that Washington’s use of the word is a symptom, not the only issue. Unfortunately, I suspect ABC only fired him because they feel confident public opinion is against him now, NOT because of the actual incident(s).
I find this whole thing annoying. I’m glad it will finally be over, although I don’t think he should have gotten fired. One thing that has always bugged me about the “Isaiah-gate” is when people say that Washington outed Knight. No he didn’t. The PRESS outed Knight. They could have respected the privacy of those involved (especially Knight) and NOT reported on the incident. But they didn’t. Was Washington wrong to say that? Of course. But was the press even more wrong to report on it and effectively ‘out’ someone who didn’t want to be outed? Yes.
Sadly, words even words that offend people have power in the media. In 1981, late comedian Charles Rocket was fired from SNL for saying the F word on live air. It was an accident. Washington’s word probably was not an accident but again, it is just a stupid and hurtful word. If he went up to Knight and punched him for being a gay man, then I could see Mr. Washington getting his a-s fired.
I like how ABC fired him months after the incident happened and the controversy grew instead of standing by one the factors that led to Grey’s Anatomy’s popularity. Classy. Also, people need to realize that they are also discriminating and that just because you don’t use certain words doesn’t make it non-racist. It’s a deeper problem. Many of the parents who are mad at Washington probably have teens who say this word all the time without any problem. Well, at least I won’t have to watch the season premiere to know what happens because the show’s writing is terrible now.
I have to say, celebrities (since we don’t usually hear the sordid details of the less-famous) personal lives do affect how I approach their work…or just how I view them. Paris Hilton is a special case, in that I have an unreasoning dislike of the woman and have never seen or heard anything that would make me reconsider my position.
I do “punish” other actors for their their poor choices or views that I don’t agree with, though. I don’t watch stuff from Mel Gibson or Lindsay Lohan anymore, for instance, and Tom Cruise is pushing it.
I feel like the time to do it would have been after the events actually took place. Now it just seems kind of like an afterthought, and honestly kind of unfair. What Washington said was definitely wrong, but why wait until after he’s done the requested actions to make ammends, and then fire him anyway? I’m tired of how prolonged this has been, and I just think the whole thing was done kind of badly.
Dio_K – Go rent Network right now. You need to see it.
I’m just concerned about what this will do for the stories. Burke was a strong male lead whereas all the other guys are kind of pushed around by girls. They’re definitely going to need find someone to fill his space. Maybe they can steal Shemar Moore from Criminal Minds (DUI and all).
As a f***** myself, i am glad (only one ‘a’) that this prick was fired.. i will admit that my gay friends and i use the ‘f*****’ word very loosely in the same way black people loosely use the word ‘n****’.. He is an ignorant Hetero, so what gives him, or any other Hetero, the right to throw around that word as way to hurt someone’ feelings about their sexuality?!!!
i feel the ONLY way this word will lose it’s power is if we, and by ‘we’ i mean The United GAYS of America, TAKE BACK THE WORD AND MAKE IT OUR OWN!!!!..
Only then can the hurt the word causes be banished for good..
i’l get down off my soapbox now..
I’m glad that the behind the scenes drama of Grey’s is giving us some deep philosophical questions to think about, because the show certainly doesn’t seem to be offering them up any time soon.
As another fellow f*****, I actually find it distracting knowing that T.R. is gay now, not because he isn’t doing everything he can with the George role, but because the George/Izzie relationship has always been written exactly like a dozen relationships I have with female friends. Hmm.
And I wouldn’t say that anyone “outed” T.R. I find it commendable that he took reigns of what could’ve been an ongoing “glass closet” thing (ahem, Anderson Cooper) and said, “yeah, I’m gay, so what?”
Stephanie — There is no such thing as an “accident” when speaking unless you have Tourette’s syndrome. If you say something that most people find offensive, it means at best you displayed very poor judgement or at worst you are an a-hole. Pretty simple.
And to say that words are just words, and only acts of violence are worthy of a severe reaction, is beyond ignorant.
Isaiah was wrong. Totally. He apologized, did the public service announcement, etc. I just think the network is setting the wrong precedence by caving into public pressure. It has to be really difficult to live under a microscope this intense. Again, we need to step back and practice forgiveness of some kind. Paris Hilton could kill an innocent person driving drunk and hey, she’s free.
Thanks, eb123, but I know where the quote came from. I still think it’s clueless and smug of him to release that as his response to not being rehired this season. It’s a reflection of his general lack of awareness.
Um, why does his firing have to have something to do with the gay slur thing? Anyone who has watched the show can tell you he wasn’t doing much of anything the whole season (even before the slur). His storyline was so wrapped up in Christina’s and once it was over, there was nothing creatively left for his character. Hopefully, Shondra will bring in new people and actually give them storylines.