In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Isaiah Washington said he was “saddened” by the studio's decision not to hire him back for another season of Grey's Anatomy and said that he hadn't spoken to any of the cast members since the news was announced last week.
The firing was widely seen as the delayed result of the comments Washington made earlier this year when he repeatedly used the word “faggot” to refer to fellow cast member T.R. Knight. Washington blamed the media for the explosive outrage that followed:
“I can only take one day at a time. I can only apologize so many times. I can only accept so much responsibility. All the players involved have taken care of what we needed to take care of in-house — and the media took it in a different direction. I hope that everyone is happy for the outcome for Isaiah, but Isaiah will go on and do what I love to do. And I have to go about the business of letting people know what's written about me is not the truth. I'm merely an actor, a husband, and a father who's trying to do a great job and be very grateful and understanding that I'm in a very privileged position. This isn't a time for me to be looking back; it's only a time for me to be looking forward. I just hope people can understand in the industry and otherwise that it's a horrible misunderstanding what transpired with our show and it was blown out of proportion. If the naysayers out there feel that some justice has been served and that they're happy with the outcome, so be it. It's incumbent on me to take what I do, do it well, grow from the experience, and move on.”
Washington says he's now working on an indie film called The Least of These. When asked whether or not he was on “good terms” with Knight, Washington replied, “I don't know. You have to ask T.R. that.”
