Will Washington Controversy, ABC's Late Reaction Hurt Grey's Anatomy?
It's been almost two weeks since the Isaiah Washington controversy exploded a second time, and while the actor has not been fired by ABC, reflections on his behavior continue to circulate.
Why was it not addressed by the network sooner? What does it suggest about the working culture of entertainment these days? Most importantly, can Grey's Anatomy weather the storm?
Below is an article appearing this week in USA Today that chronicles the incident's aftermath, and explains why it was initially downplayed, and that Grey's Anatomy can still survive the situation. For another take on the issue, which some say falls into the typical - and insufficient - pattern of entertainment industry remorse, check out Entertainment Weekly.
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There's no question that ABC's biggest show has been hurt by its shamefully tardy public response to Isaiah Washington's now-infamous October outburst, which the show initially buried under a veil of vague apologies.
But TV has a long history of nurturing, exposing and then forgiving shameful backstage behavior in a burst of PR-inspired public repentance â" and never mind the possible damage done to the viewing experience.
Much of this tawdry process could have been avoided had the network and the producers responded more forcefully when Washington, who plays Dr. Preston Burke in the hit drama, first used a homophobic slur to refer to co-star T.R. Knight. But that isn't what occurred.
Instead, they waited until the angry reaction to his repetition of the insult at the Golden Globes forced their hand â" sending the troubled actor to a meeting with gay leaders and now, apparently, to a stint of counseling.
Had they dealt with the problem the first time, the show would have been spared weeks of bad publicity that has left fans wondering if the stars will ever play nice together again.
And make no mistake, playing nice is all that's required. Despite all the nonsense casts feed the press about being one big, happy family, actors don't have to be best friends and often aren't.
Vivian Vance and William Frawley bickered throughout I Love Lucy, setting a lack-of-love pattern that remains to this day. They're actors; their job is to convey emotion, not live it.
They do, however, have to be able to keep their animosity off camera and under control. More than one actor has been smoked out of a series because his or her co-stars had to be forced to share scenes at gunpoint.
Apparently, Grey's Anatomy creator Shonda Rhimes is convinced her actors can get along, because if she thought Washington's continued employment would hurt her show, he would be fired by now. Despite the rush in some quarters to show Washington the door, Rhimes' wait-and-see approach may prove to be wisest.
Yes, Rhimes should have rebuked her star more swiftly than she did. But on a social level, we're better served by a publicly repentant Washington preaching tolerance than by an unemployed Washington claiming mistreatment.
What's more, on an artistic level, his loss would damage one of TV's best shows. To think otherwise is to buy into the mistaken notion that talent is near universal and instantly replaceable.
Last week's Grey's Anatomy shows how valuable Washington is to the series.
The episode (which was shot before the Golden Globe Awards debacle, as was this week's "Great Expectations") included a lovely scene between Burke and Knight's George O'Malley that played off the unexpected and still-vital friendship the show has built around these two very different characters.
It was possible to look at the great scene through a current-headline lens and find it unconvincing. But it wasn't possible to read discomfort or discord into the actors' performances. And as long as that continues, the audience will eventually fall in line.
Think of the stories of brutal backstage squabbles at Roseanne, Grace Under Fire, Martin, Sex and the City and other shows. If viewers could push reality aside in those cases, they surely can do it here.
In a way, Grey's Anatomy may have an easier time with viewer perceptions because Dr. Burke has always had a snappish streak. Although he's admirable in many ways, Burke has a habit of saying hurtful things to his colleagues, most recently Derek and Cristina.
It's not beyond the realm of possibility that somewhere down the line, the character may have to face his own anger management issues.
Until then, let's look at the one bright side. Had word come out 20 years ago that a TV star had been called a homosexual, it's the gay actor whose career would have been over. Now, it's the bigot who's in danger.
That, at least, is a healthy sign.
January 27th, 2007 10:28 AM
I totaly agree with this article....i think that they are all wonderful actors and actress' and they will be able to do their job no matter what....and until it starts to make the show fall then why should we care....as long as they continue to deliver awesome shows like they are have i think we should all let this die down and sit on our couches and enjoy the show.
January 27th, 2007 9:15 PM
This is one of the first columnist that is speaking with some degree of objectivity, right up until he called Isaiah a bigot. There is no history of bigotry in this man's past. You can bet if there was it would have surfaced by now. He called someone a name in the heat of the moment. Everyone needs to get a little perspective. Name calling is not uncommon and neither does it reflect what is a person't heart nor does it maim anyone for life. It wasn't a nice thing to do, but it wasn't criminal either. This is the down side of the electronic age. Everyone knows more than they need to and yet not enough to make a rationale judgment about the situation so they leap to conclusions with very little evidence to go on. I do hope that in time everyone immediately involved can forgive each other and the rest of us can get over it so that everyone including Isaiah stays on the show. If we can believe George is a heteosexual male who is currently a sex addict with Callie, we should be able to believe that Burke is a kind and caring doctor who is known for his integrity and skill as a surgeon.
January 28th, 2007 5:30 PM
I agree with you burke backer i can't wait until this all goes away.......no more name calling
January 28th, 2007 6:46 PM
Great post, Burker Backer. I agree with everythng you said, and IW is not a bigot. He's been in the business more than 20 years. If that was true, we would have seen some signs long before now. I'll always be a supporter of IW - 100%.
January 28th, 2007 8:30 PM
Yes, Isaiah Washington's slur is unfortunate, and he should be held accountable. However, the show is the thing. Are we supposed to think that every cast gets along? I want to see Dr. Preston Burke. Washington's politics, and what he thinks of homosexuals, doesn't have anything to do with his portrayal of Dr. Burke. Hopefully, Shonda Rhimes will continue to write wonderful lines for him and not back away from the character, who is crucial to the story. If she can write T.R. Knight as a heterosexual sex machine, she can write anything.
January 29th, 2007 3:04 PM
Well said Burke Backer...I agree 100%!
January 29th, 2007 7:43 PM
Have y'all seen the item on MSNBC.com referring to the possibility that TR might leave the show? I hope, hope, hope that it is only picking up on a rumor - especially after the incredible performances that he's given this season. I think he has really come into his own as an actor, and the character is really getting some depth. Frankly, I'd hate to see anyone leave, but I can see how it would be difficult to continue the quality performance as an ensemble if one or more of the cast was uncomfortable......I just hope they can work it out.
January 30th, 2007 10:49 AM
I think he was extremely wrong in his behavior and that it is totally inexcusable!! He grew up in the sixties and when blacks were in the throws of getting equal rights. He had to have grown up knowing what it was like living in a white persons world back then, being looked at as being different! He should look back on those times when he felt like an outcast due to the color of his skin! He no more chose to being born a black kid back then as did any gay choose to being born gay in a straight society! He of all people should know what it feels like to be looked down on for being different and always having to prove yourself!! NO ONE asks to be born gay and live in a world of bigots that are going to be mean to you and possible kill you for being different (remember Matthew Shepard)!! I being a Mother to a 33 year old daughter that is gay, there isn't a day or night that goes by that I don't worry about her being hurt emotionally or physically for something she can't help (SHE CAN'T CHANGE HOW SHE WAS BORN)!! No more than a child that is born without limbs can wake up one day and say, "you know what, I think I will grow some limbs today, I am tired of being different!!! To list just a few of the talented and wonderful gay professional people that have provided us with hours of their ended talent, I applaud the T.R. Knight, Ellen DeGeneres, Tracy Chapman, Joan Baez, Portia deRossi, Jodi Foster, Sara Gilbert, Patrick Neil Harris,Tab Hunter, Elton John, K.D. Lang, Johnny Mathis, Kristy McNichol, Sinead O'Connor, Rosie O'Donnell, David Hyde Pierce, Charles Nelson Reilly, Rip Taylor, Lily Tomlin, Rock Hudson, Michael Jeter,Barry Manilow, Liberace, Richard Chamberlainand, Paul Lynde's of the world. Isaiah Washington, you were and are wrong in your school of thinking! Maybe for one or two years, you and your family ought to go live in one of the southern states (like Georgia or Mississippi) that still are anti black and get a refresher coarse in humanity!! Even though you grew up in a household that was semi professionals in Texas! But you have forgotten where you come from and what it was like being a little black boy growing up!! And you seriously need to attend some anger management classes too!!
January 30th, 2007 2:49 PM
Great post and THANKS! I'm so sick of reading and hearing about Isaiah being a bigot,what should ABC do about him?, etc. ABC shouldn't think of doing anything besides moving on. I'm sure there are several other networks who would LOVE to pick up Grey's Anatomy & allow humans to make some mistakes.
He simply chose the wrong description/word for "homosexual men", hell I know people that still call them sissies, "chemically addicted"=Junkies, "lesbians"=Dykes, LOL :)
you can't keep up with the politically correct language, it changes almost daily.
Unfortunately, we've become a society that tries to CONTROL EVERYONE and EVERYTHING . . .who amongst us hasn't said, done or thought something we regretted later?. . . give me a break
again . . .GREAT POST
January 30th, 2007 4:12 PM
Saying IW used the 'wrong word' to describe homosexual men is about the stupidest thing I've ever heard. I suppose you would say that Micheal Richards used the 'wrong word' to describe african americans. IW has a LONG history of having a temper on the set (well before Grey's Anatomy) with verbal and physical assults on other actors. If ABC has any balls, they would fire him. What bothers me, is when they talk about who should replace him, they always suggest another african american male. What's up with that?
January 30th, 2007 5:08 PM
I don't think TR Knight "came out of the closet", I think he was publicly "outed" for shock value from an angry co-worker. Straight people don't have to "come out of the closet" and say who they are intimate with, so why do we label this for gay people? How about "everyone is entitled to their personal privacy, and whether someone is straight or gay should be such an insignificant part of who they are as a person and what it is about them that we hold value as being", and angry rude ugly words like faggott should fall into the same category as nigger …..NOT ACCEPTABLE - NO ROOM IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE FOR IT, AND PEOPLE WHO USE THESE WORDS SHOULD BE "OUTED" FROM BEING A PART OF ANY PUBLIC PROFESSION. I don't want to hear it, and I don't want my kids to hear it. TR Knight is entitled to his privacy at whatever level he is comfortable, and the choice of what he discloses to others should be owned entirely by him. Washington should be fired. Counseling does nothing for that ugly part deep inside that knows that word and even considers using it. No matter how much alcohol that I would consume, those horrible words would never enter my mind much less ever be spoken. Washington showed everyone what he carries inside his heart, and no therapy or apology will change the fact that now we know a lot more about who he is…..
January 30th, 2007 8:12 PM
We teach our chiildren that if you do or say something wrong, you apology. If you don't want to forgive, then that's your choice, but it doesn't make you better, just more hateful.
January 31st, 2007 7:55 AM
I think all of the hoopla surrounding the comments allegedly made by Isaiah Washington needs to stop. He apologized for what was said. I think the entire situation was probably overblown from the beginning. I don't think we need to know what conversations take place behind the scenes of a show.
I think that we should all learn to be more tolerant of the personal choices of others, however, I don't think that if someone makes a poor judgement call and uses a derogatory term, they should be fired. The punishment just does not fit the offense. If he does not do a good job on the show, then he should be disciplined. But how he feels or doesn't feel as a person should not impact his employment. Acting, to me, is like any other form of employment. You should be judged on how well you perform your assigned job. Isaiah Washington is an outstanding actor and I have followed his work for many years. I would hope that the producers would look at his talent and not his politics.
January 31st, 2007 2:12 PM
I have kept up with this situation with IW since the beginning. This is by far the best website and article I have read and I have read a lot of them. I have looked at the video a thousand times of IW interviews. I do think the night of the Globes on his part was not a good decision when he grabbed the microphone and made his statement.
They were not talking to him but Shonda. He reacted before thinking which we all do sometimes. I work hard on a daily basis not to do that with my husband and my kids. Its not easy. But sometimes I do overreact and say things I regret and shouldn't have said. I tell them I am sorry and they have forgiven me many times.
I don't think IW INTENTIONS were to hurt anyone that night. He made a bad judgement call. I don't agree that TR was forced out of the closet. I think he used this as an opportunity or excuse to come out. I read everyday people calling Clay Aiken gay and has yet to say anything and a lot of people are convinced he is and call him accordingly. I am told all the by others that are gay, being gay isn't a choice thats just who you are. So if thats the case why is it such a big deal who knows, when they know and how they find out. I was under the understanding you don't chose to be thats just who you are. So, I didn't choose to be a girl at birth thats just what I was. Therefore it didn't matter when others found out and how. With all the struggle you hear that gay men have gone through to be respected I think TR's coming out was really kind of "whimpy". He is a gay man. Why didn't he raise his head up on Ellen and straighten his shoulders back and tell us I am telling you who I am because I am not shame and very proud of who I am.
I don't respect how he used this situation is that way. I would hope he doesn't want all this pity and I would hope he is telling Katherine Hiegel he can fight his own battles and you are making me look even weaker while you promote your career. I would be upset with her that she is using this situation to stay in front of the camera.
I would love to see TR stand up for himself with some pride and confidence. I love his character but being gay doesn't make you weak, fragile, and spineless. When all the attention is off of IW, TR will definitely come the public's focus thats just the way human nature is. They are going to give you a minute to lick your wounds and thats it. He better get up straight his shoulders, raise your head up because I want him to be respected to. Good Luck to TR and IW.
January 31st, 2007 2:15 PM
I am glad that IW will be back. I think people too often mistake the actors' characters with their own iddenties.
January 31st, 2007 8:10 PM
I am glad that Shonda Rhimes spends more time thinking about what is going to come out of IW's mouth than he apparenty does. What he said wasn't an accident it was diliberate and probably taught as we know hate is learned behavior. People don't get to choose where they come from or how they grow up people don't get to choose the color of their skin or their sexual preferences but we do get to choose to be tolerant and more than that we get to choose to accept people for who they are. IW chooses to think the way he does and we all have the right not to so let'sl rejoice in our ability to choose not to. On the other hand, (and I have thought alot about this not just due to the controversy but due to learning to be tolerant of my father's points of view while completely disagreeing with him) we cannot expect people like IW to be tolerant of other people if we are not also tolerant of people like IW. Moreover we cannot teach tolerence and acceptance if we do not tolerate and accept. I am not saying that we all have to agree with eachother just be tolerant so that we can move toward acceptance.
February 1st, 2007 3:10 AM
I think that those of you here who is voicing their unconditional support of Isaiah in the matter of the slur he used in referece to TR Knight have forgotten something very important that I believe speaks to Isaiah's character a great deal. Not only did he use the slur deliberately (rather than accidently as some of you have implied), as he has now admitted, but he also LIED about using the slur over and over again. He lied about it on public television in front of millions of people -- more than once. If he did not mean it -- If it was no big deal as some of you have implied, then why lie about it? To me, his lying about it is as bad as using the slur in the first place. Have you convinced yourselves that he did not mean to lie as well? Or do you believe it is okay to lie if it keeps you out of trouble? I see references in your comments only to the slur and not to the way in which he tried to cover up what he had done.
I just do not see any "poor Isaiah's" in this whole situation. TR was not ready to 'come out' publically when Isaiah said what he did about him. It was and is TR's right to choose if and when he wanted to do so. Therefore Isaiah hurt TR very much. He also tried to cause physical harm to Patrick. I guess in your book that was okay as well. Also his words and actions caused much stress and upsetness among the rest of the cast and crew as well. How do we know how many other gay folks are members of the cast and crew. What if you were one of them? Would you really like to work every day with someone who felt towards you the way Isaiah expressed his feelings about gay folks? I think not.
Also since all of this happened, there have been other people who have worked with Isaiah in the past who have come forward to tell their stories of how he turned his anger on them. I understand that In one case the police had to be called to the set and in another case another member of the production had to get a restraining order against him. Again, not the sparkling clean history some of you refer to...
I am not saying that Isaiah should be fired or whatever. But I also do not thing that Isaiah is "a poor inocent" in all of this. And I think that people should stop and look at all sides of an issue before jumping on any bandwagon. It seems that often times because people are famous and/or because they are on our "favorite shows" or whatever, some peole think that they should be allowed to get away with anything. I don't believe that. I think that people should be treated fairly and equally no matter who they are. And I am really tired of hearing so many people use the excuse that Isaiah said and did what he did in a moment of anger. Anger is not an excuse for hurting another human being. Anger is no excuse for hurting another person. Anger is not an excuse for anything. Yes we all get angry. But most of us know that some things are inappropriate whether we are angry or not. Anger is NEVER a license to hurt another person in any way -- physically, verbally or any other way!
I think that if Isaiah comes back to the show that he will need to earn back the respect of a lot of people -- the people he hurt directly, the cast and crew that he stressed out, the producers of GA, ABC and also the fans. Respect is not a given, it is something that is earned. I think he will need to show by his words and his actions from here on out that he went to counselling and talk to that group and apologized to TR and Patrick and everyone because he recognized that he did something wrong and that he had a problem that needed to be addressed and not just in order to keep his job on GA...
February 1st, 2007 9:12 PM
Sarah- I just wanted to say that I completely agree with you. My question is this do you think that he only recognized that he did something wrong because everyone else did? And do you think that he has only gone to the measures that he has to keep his job? It's silly I know to ask someone what they think is going on in someone elses head I just wonder of his real intentions. I am
February 1st, 2007 9:15 PM
Sarah- I just wanted to say that I completely agree with you. My question is this do you think that he only recognized that he did something wrong because everyone else did? And do you think that he has only gone to the measures that he has to keep his job? It's silly I know to ask someone what they think is going on in someone elses head I just wonder of his real intentions. I am not being judgmental at all but do you think that it could be something like a thief who is only sorry that he got caught not that they actually stole something.
February 3rd, 2007 7:27 PM
Sarah, I so completely disagree with your statements and your logic that it is almost impossible to put into words. How do you know Isaiah lied? How do you know? Is it because TR went on Ellen and said he overheard the word fzzzt? How do you now that TR is telling the truth? How do you know that he heard correctly? You are making many assumptions based on very little knowledge and an appauling lack of tolerance yourself. Let's say that Isaiah did in fact say, I am not a f-word like TR. What did he mean by that? Do you now? Do you know the context in which he used the term? Was he referring to TR's character that has been on multiple occasions labeled as gay on the show? Was it because TR allows PD to walk around the set like a God coming and going as he choses regardless of who is keeps waiting. Could he have been referring to the fact that TR acts like a f-word where PD is concerned and have had nothing whatsoever to do with TRs actual sexual preference? Why do you assume Isaiah lied when he said, "I did not call TR Knight a fxxxx"? Could he have meant he did not call him that to his face as a way of hurting and humilitating him? He did not say he did not use the word. He said he didn't call TR that word. There is a difference. I do not believe Isaiah LIED. I believe that two grown men have a difference of opinion about what occurred back in October and one of the grown men just doesn't want to let go of the incident, forgive, forget, and move on. That is childish and self serving. If TR was not ready to come out publicly than keep your mouth shut and don't go to the media and tell the world that you are gay. No one forced him to do that. He could have denied it if he chose or simply ignored it. He decided that it was time to make an example of his castmate. And in doing so he made Isaiah a victim so there definitely is a poor Isaiah involved here. In terms of the incident you refer to, this was a costume handler who came out of the wood work years later to report this incident at a time that it would be monetarily advantageous to do so. No one knows that this occurred. It is this man's story. No arrest was made, no charges on file. Where is this man's proof, or do we just accept it as fact with no proof? Where is innocent until proven guilty? There are just as many people who claim that Isaiah is wonderful to work with including James Pickens, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, and Sandra Oh. You should not put too much stock in things you read in the National Inquirer or articles published in other media that use "facts" printed in the National Inquirer for their source unless you are ready to believe that President Bush is leaving Laura for Condoleeza Rice. All parties involved will need to earn back respect and trust not just Isaiah. Isaiah made an error. He apologized. I hope they can all forgive each other and move on for the good of the show and just because that is what people should do. If you hold on to every wrong or perceived wrong done to you it would be a very miseable life. Let's hope TR Knight understands that. Isaiah is a victim of a horrible pro gay media campaign. He is not the first person to call someone a name and will not be the last. It happens. It isn't murder, rape, child molestation, or any of a dozen horrible crimes. It was a stupid thing to do, but it did not warrant this outrage. Find me one example in print or anywhere else of Isaiah being anti-gay prior to the use of this one word in an on set argument that was suppose to be a closed set? I will bet you that you can't. Still the media wants to paint Isaiah as a homophobe. This is rubbish. Isaiah needs to not say anything more about this in public. He has apologized. The leaders of the gay community have accepted his apology and public stated they believe in his sincerity. Still people continue to doubt it. Why? We weren't there we don't know what was said or in what spirit. Those that were present who have the most at stake believe it was sincere. TR and KH need to not speak about this in public any longer either. They need to be focusing their energies on repairing relationships. They all do. To do anything less is cheating the fans of GA.
February 4th, 2007 4:33 PM
BB you are a wise, wise woman! There was someone on CCN that made a comment about knowing the difference between a racial or homophobic slur and an insensitive comment, and that we don't have the right to label people without knowing them. People need to step back and evaluate themselve, too.
February 28th, 2007 10:47 PM
Kathleen Johnson, I bet u are not black due to the insensitivity with which u refer to the sixties. Some people have been killed for being gay, how many were killed for being black. PPle say one can not help being gay, but if you felt it would hurt you, you could choose not to disclose. Please tell me how a black person can ever hide the fact that they are black to avoid mistreatment, when u can do that, then I would agree with you that being black is the same as being gay. Stay on the topic please and try not to make sweeping remarks about very painful past experiences others have had which you can never understand.
As for Brian's post, you might want to read transcripts of what Michael Richards said, it was more than just the N word. Try not to equate unequal issues, especially when they are beyond your realm.
On the Issue of IS and TR, we need to let tolerance and respect for others be the rule of the day. This is the land of the free, you cannot impose beliefs on people. You can insist that they treat others well reagardless of their differences and I think IW is making that effort and deserves a break.
March 7th, 2007 12:53 PM
I have seen many interviews he done since the beginning of the show and they have all been about how proud he is to be on a show that promote diversity not because they overtly promote it but because it just is diverse. How proud he is to work with Shonda Rhimes and the cast and about how he wants to be respectful of the people who turn in week after week. So, as you can imagine I find it hard that someone who repeatedly speaks so passionately about his belief in the show actually meant to hurt the people who help him bring this story to life. I think we have to reasonably judge a person as a whole not just for a situation that may have been a terrible mistake. People say things all the time in the heat of anger (WRONG AS THEY MAY BE) not because they mean it. He should be given the opportunity to make amends and if he can get a better grasp on his anger as a result of this than a lot of good can come from this. The fact that we are having an open discussion about the issues of tolerance and how powerful name calling can be are the goods but it seems no one is telling that side of the story. NOW THAT IS THE REAL ISSUE...
March 8th, 2007 9:24 AM
mr washington is not perfect.nor is anyone else.he screwed up.he asked forgivness.let it go.his responsabilitey is to himself.you all cant say you have never uttered a slur against someone..fat people black people white people gay or strait.how about rednecks southern people yankees northren people hollywood types.the point i am trying to make is you who are without sin cast the first stone.
March 8th, 2007 11:31 PM
He is Dr Preston Burke. As Isaiah Washington, He already admit he made a mistake to T.R. Let him go. Let Dr Preston Burke continues his wonderful job as a surgeon at Seattle Grace. End of discussion.