T. R. Knight
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Fans were shocked when T.R. Knight made the decision to leave the cast of Grey’s Anatomy, the hit medical drama that launched him to fame in 2005.

This week, in an exclusive interview with Entertainment Weekly, the actor reveals what led him to his decision, and he also candidly discusses the Isaiah Washington situation, coming out of the closet, and leaving his friends at Seattle Grace.

This fall, Knight was surprised to see his character George O’Malley all but vanish from the show - in fact, in the first nine episodes of Season 5, he appeared on screen a total of only 48 minutes, compared to 114 for Sandra Oh’s Cristina Yang.

Still, due to what he calls a “breakdown of communication” between himself and Grey's Anatomy executive producer Shonda Rhimes, the actor chose not to ask his boss what was going on with George O’Malley. Instead, he simply asked to leave.

"My five-year experience proved to me that I could not trust any answer that was given [about George]," he explains. "And with respect, I'm going to leave it at that."

Though he was unknown when Grey's Anatomy premiered, Knight emerged as one of the show's breakout stars, earning a supporting actor Emmy nod in 2007. But what came to be known as "Isaiahgate" catapulted him to household-name status.

After Isaiah Washington referred to Knight as a "f----t" during an on-set argument with Patrick Dempsey, the tabloids caught wind of it, Knight came out of the closet, and Washington was ultimately not asked back to the show the following season.

While Knight doesn’t specifically fault Shonda Rhimes for how the situation was handled behind the scenes, he says she tried to discourage him from coming out:

"I think she was concerned about having my statement come out so close to the [initial] incident." Rhimes denies it: "I said, 'If you want to come out, that's awesome.'"

Knight returned to work on Season 4, but the actor struggled with the story line in which George cheated on his wife Callie (Sara Ramirez) with Izzie (Katherine Heigl).

And once George went MIA at the star of Season 5, the star came to the conclusion that his character had “expired.” But Knight is at peace with his choice to leave:

"There comes a time when it’s so clear that moving on is the best decision," he says.

But at first, his castmate and friend Katherine Heigl tried to talk him out of it: "I didn't think it was the right decision," she says. "I felt like some of the problems could be worked out. But by the time it came to fruition, I was [glad] because he was ready to go."

T.R. Knight knows he’s taking a risk walking away from his top 10 show and $14 million contract: "From an outsider's perspective, I get the [impression that] 'Oh, he’s just a spoiled actor ... he doesn’t know how good he has it,'" he says.

"There are a lot of people who would like to be in my position. But in the end, I need to be fulfilled in my work, and I am confident I made the right decision."

As we reported last week, the final scene in Grey's Anatomy's fifth season finale was supposed to feature Jeffrey Dean Morgan's Denny Duquette, who was seen throughout the season, as Izzie's heavenly escort as the ailing resident's life hung in the balance.

However, series creator and executive Shonda Rhimes had an epiphany and decided to use T.R. Knight's George O'Malley in the parting shot-cliffhanger instead

According to Entertainment Weekly, having wrapped filming for the season, T.R. Knight went ahead and shaved his head, believing he was done for the summer.

That posed a new problem - but ultimately a solution - for Rhimes.

"[Director] Rob Corn calls me up and goes, 'What do we do?'" Rhimes said, before she remembered George enlisted in the Army right before being struck by a bus.

Luckily, the workaround quickly came to Rhimes when she thought of that fact. "I said, 'I know. Put him in a military uniform!' It wasn't a big amazing plan I had."

The climactic, season-ending scene, which left the two characters literally in limbo and viewers on the edge of their seats, left Knight with a bag of emotions as well.

"It was brilliant of Shonda to put George in the dress blues," said Knight, who will not be returning to Grey's Anatomy next season. "It was such a powerful image."

Katherine Heigl, who plays Izzie, was in Atlanta shooting a film and was not present for the big re-shoot. So to ensure Heigl and Knight's expressions were in sync, T.R. Knight picked his BFF's brain over the phone before stepping in front of the camera.

"I was like, 'What did you do in that scene?'" the Grey's Anatomy actor said, laughing. "It's nice when you've worked with someone for five years. There's a shorthand."

Katherine Heigl was worried over whether the switcheroo could be pulled off.

"Katie called me and was like, 'Are my expressions going to match his? Is it going to work?" Rhimes said. "And I was like, 'I promise you it's going to be perfect.'"

It was.

Now that we know Katherine Heigl is returning to Grey's Anatomy next season, she has a few words about her best friend and co-star, T.R. Knight, not coming back.

"It really pisses me off," she jokingly said of Knight's new endeavors.

Katherine also spoke to E! News about knowing she'd be back on the show last year and that T.R. would not, and how surprised she is that the show runners let those pieces of information out of the bag so soon. Frankly, we were wondering the same thing.

Heigl, whose new movie, The Ugly Truth, premiered last week, will be missing her BFF Knight, but has no inclination to follow in his footsteps and leave. For now ...

These excerpts from Michael Ausiello's spoiler Q&A at EW.com today are not really Grey's Anatomy spoilers. They are, however, quite interesting in that they relate to the climactic scene of Season Five and how that came about. See below ...

Q: Any Grey's Anatomy scoop?

A: Remember the haunting image of an Army-clad George waiting outside the elevator for Izzie in the season finale? Well, it wasn't supposed to be George standing there. The scene was originally shot with Jeffrey Dean Morgan's Denny in the role of Izzie's heavenly escort.

But as Grey's boss Shonda Rhimes explains, "I received the first cut [of the finale] on a Friday and something didn't feel right. All weekend long something was bugging me."

"And then I woke up Monday morning and it hit me, 'My God, it's George! When the elevator opens, it should be George O'Malley that we see.'"

There was just one problem ... actually, two problems. To find out what they were and how they got resolved, the new Entertainment Weekly issue has the details.

Q: How much longer do we have to wait for Grey's Anatomy scoop?

A: One of the two problems involved Katherine Heigl's location at the time of Shonda's epiphany. That's all you're getting. You have to pick up the magazine.

Q: Anything on Grey's Anatomy?

A: The other problem involved what T.R. Knight did to his head after production wrapped. Now I'm really done.

Q: Please give us something on Grey's Anatomy?

A: The second problem involving T.R. Knight's head eventually became the solution. Okay, now I'm really really done. Get the rest of the scoop in this week's EW!

Your comments and theories are welcome below.

T.R. Knight is headed to the Great White Way!

The ex-Grey's Anatomy star, who earlier this month confirmed that he was leaving the ABC drama, has signed on to star in the upcoming Broadway revival of Lend Me a Tenor.

Knight will play the role of Max in the classic farce, which is being directed by Stanley Tucci and is scheduled to open in February 2010. Sounds like a great role for him.

Additional casting will be announced in the coming weeks.

Prior to joining the cast of Lend Me a Tenor, Knight will headline a production of Jason Robert Brown's Tony-winning play Parade at Los Angeles' Mark Taper Forum.

Glad to see T.R. returning to the stage. We wish him the best!

Pregnant actress Ellen Pompeo and her former Grey's Anatomy co-star T.R. Knight headed over to the L.A. Design Center on Western Avenue in Los Angeles late last week. Cute!

The original Grey's Anatomy pair shopped around for furniture for Ellen’s new home. Some pieces for the new nursery, perhaps? That baby bump is really beginning to show!

Last month, Ellen and T.R. were spotted lunching at Milk together in Los Angeles. It's nice to see that even after T.R. left the show, the two stars' friendship is as strong as ever.

T.R. Knight has booked his first role since negotiating an early release from ABC's Grey's Anatomy. He will star in a Los Angeles theater production of the musical Parade.

The show opens October 4 at the Mark Taper Forum in L.A.

Parade, penned by Alfred Uhry, is a true story of Leo Frank, an Atlanta pencil-factory manager who was convicted of raping and killing a 13-year-old female employee in 1913.

When doubt was cast on his guilt, Frank's death sentence was commuted to life imprisonment. Soon after, he was kidnapped from prison and lynched by a group of citizens.

We'll sure miss T.R. Knight and all he brought to Grey's Anatomy.

In his first role after exiting the Grey's Anatomy cast following five great seasons, T.R. Knight will star as Frank, while Lara Pulver (Robin Hood) will play his wife, Lucille.

"I am very fortunate to return to the theater playing Leo Frank in this incredible, acclaimed production of Parade," Knight said in an interview with the Los Angeles Times.

"After a five-year break, it feels great to be on stage again."

T.R. Knight's previous plank work includes Broadway's Tartuffe.

After months of speculation surrounding the fate of Grey’s Anatomy’s George O’Malley, T.R. Knight, who plays the lovable doctor, is breaking his silence about his departure.

“The decision to leave Grey’s Anatomy was not an easy one for me to make,” T.R. Knight said in a statement today. “I am extremely grateful to have had the opportunity to play this character and will miss my fellow cast and crew very much."

"I continue to wish them the very best, and wholeheartedly thank all of the Grey's Anatomy fans who have supported me and the show with such passion and enthusiasm.”

T.R. Knight was an integral Grey's Anatomy cast member for five seasons.

Producer Shonda Rhimes simultaneously released her own statement, saying:

“I think I speak for the entire Grey’s Anatomy family when I say we wish T.R. Knight the best in his future endeavors. He is an incredibly talented actor and a person whose strength of character is admired by all of us.”

While T.R. Knight may be happy to depart from the show following a season of sparse screen time for George, co-star James Pickens, Jr., says the actor will be missed.

“He’s a good man, and a great actor,” Pickens, who plays Chief Richard Webber, says. “We have lots of laughs. I’m going to miss his sense of humor.”

The official confirmation comes just hours after word leaked that Knight's co-star and real-life BFF Katherine Heigl will be sticking around next season.

Knight is currently in talks to headline a Broadway revival of Lend Me a Tenor.

All of us here at Grey's Anatomy Insider would like to say thank you to T.R. Knight for his contributions to our favorite show over five seasons and over a hundred episodes. Best of luck wherever the future takes you, T.R.!

The sixth season premiere is still months away, but one of last season's bigger Grey's Anatomy cliffhangers has already been resolved. Sources have confirmed to Entertainment Weekly the following: T.R. Knight's wish to be released from his contract has been granted.

He will not return to the show.

The official decision, according to Michael Ausiello, came down in the past few days, just as many of his castmates began receiving their formal pickup letters from ABC.

The actor's exit closes yet another rocky chapter for the embattled show, one that opened with Isaiah Washington-gate and worsened when, amid rumors that Knight was clashing with series creator Shonda Rhimes, George O'Malley was back-burnered.

Finally, Knight grew so fed up with his character's lack of storyline that he asked if he could check out three years before his deal expired. After that, indications were that he would be let go, although Rhimes didn't make a final decision until recently.

Contractually speaking, she had until June 30 to make up her mind.

Last month, Rhimes said George's relatively light storyline this year was the result of the normal "ebbs and flows" of ensemble television. But Shonda did acknowledge that he was intentionally written lighter during the last half of the season.

That way, viewers wouldn't think it odd that he was absent from the season finale - something that was necessary to preserve the episode's biggest twist: that George O'Malley was actually the disfigured John Doe who had been hit by a bus (above).

"I really wanted you to not notice that he wasn't there for most of this episode," she said. "I don't think anybody noticed because of the way we laid it out this season."

TR Knight's departure would seem to indicate George's demise as a character, however, some fans have wondered if Rhimes is planning to pull an Elizabeth Reaser (Jane Doe/Rebecca from Season Three) and have him live, only to be replaced by another actor.

That's "hilarious, ridiculous," the boss has said.

However, rumor has it that Rhimes was indeed interested in having Knight appear in next season's first three episodes, but a short-term deal could not be brokered.

Reps for Knight and ABC declined to comment.

Now that the question of George O'Malley's future seems to have been answered, albeit sadly, another puzzler moves to the forefront: What's going to happen to Katherine Heigl and Izzie, whose life also hung in the balance in last May's capper?

Sound off on both topics below ...

Is he staying? Is he going?

The debate goes on (and on, and on). But you can count Justin Chambers among those who don't want T.R. Knight to leave the cast of Grey's Anatomy.

"T.R. is an amazing actor and I want him to be there as long as I'm on there," said Chambers, who plays Dr. Alex Karev on Grey's Anatomy, to E! Online the other night at the Salvatore Ferragamo benefit for L'Aquila Earthquake victims. "He's wonderful to work with."

Besides, T.R.'s character, Dr. George O'Malley, has so much growing to do.

"That's one of the great things about the show," Justin Chambers said.

"All the characters have so much left to explore. From the beginning of the series, the audience followed these young interns coming into this hospital and now they're residents ... but they still have much more to learn as far as surgery, social skills and manners."

For her part, former Grey's Anatomy guest star Melissa George said she's not convinced that Knight is leaving the show he's been on since its 2005 premiere.

No matter what happens, she said, "He'll go on to bigger and better things."