How Do You Feel About Isaiah Washington Getting Fired?
June 14, 2007 by Ingrid Diaz
It’s been a few days since the big news that Isaiah Washington will not be returning to Grey’s next season. I’m still irritated by the news. I feel like he’s gone from bad guy to victim in the span of a few months, and I don’t think it’s much of a coincidence that T.R. Knight was asked back a day or two before news that Isaiah had been fired leaked out.
Do you guys think there’s still alot of drama going on that the media isn’t reporting? Or was it simply Dr. Burke’s time to depart? Was there anything that could’ve saved Isaiah or was he doomed from the moment he spoke the F word in public?
I TOTALLY LOVE DR. PRESTON BURKE!!!!! His character is more interesting than all the men in GA.
Come on….People make mistake. Get over it!!!!!!!
People have done a lot worse than make a stupid comment..they need to bring him back!!!
He already apologized. Will you please give him a second chance. Mr. Washington can do more with a single look than a lot can with 6 pages of dialogue.
For me Burke was one of the few characters who actually had a storyline worth watching, and he could act!!!
The only romance in grey’s anatomy that makes sense is BURKE – YANG. He and Sandra Oh had a major chemistry; subtle but very very effective.
The last season was nothing more than another “melrose place” and a series of ‘lets all sleep with each other at least once’.
Burke and Cristina were the most lovely and interesting couple in the show… They made the show worth watching!!!
Dr Burke is the best “doctor” in Seatlle Grace Hospital.
Grey’s wont be the same without dr. burke.
I’m gonna miss you Dr Burke…
You are the best…
By the way, I am MORE THAN TIRED OF GEORGE AND IZZIE Relationship or whatever you call that.
I think the fact that we’re still talking about Isaiah’s firing months after the fact is a testament of the impact he has made to the show. He is a powerful man who played a powerful character.
It is unlikely that I will watch Grey’s this fall. I liked George’s character a lot before all of this happened. I believed he was the conscious of Grey’s, in a way. Since the debacle, he doesn’t come across that way anymore at all. He looks weak to me; a pure whiner.
Grey’s Anatomy will probable continue to be successful, because there are many, many people who could care less about seeing powerful black people on TV. I can tell that from some of the comments above. But for those of us who love Isaiah, let’s watch Bionic Woman. Let’s see his upcoming movie, “The Least of These”. Let’s move on from Grey’s.
I am amazed by some of the comments that I have read. “Real fans would not stop watching Grey’s if one cast member left”? Let Patrick Dempsey quit. The show won’t make it to the end of the season. Millions of women (and some males as well), will stop watching immediately. Let Eric Dane (McSteamy) quit. Millions more will simply stop watching. Let Ellen Pompeo quit. Will it still be “Grey’s” Anatomy without Meredith Grey?
The people who say that real fans would not leave if one cast member left simply haven’t seen their favorite cast member leave. And it is obvious that Isaiah isn’t the favorite cast member of people who would make such comments. He was MY favorite cast member, though.
I second that joelouisbrown. Dr. Burke was my favorite cast member!!!! ISIAAH WASHINGTON IS MY FAVORITE ACTOR.
You see I’ve heard about Greys Anatomy for a long time… Its just that I didn’t have time to watch it until a week ago. Imagine I watched seasons 1-3 in less than a week..
I was so hooked…
I had a bad feeling at the end of season 3 bout Dr. Burke so I researched about it in the net and was totally devastated when I realized…..
Well, guess its just unlucky for Greys to lose such a fine actor….. and more unlucky for the fans of Dr. Burke…
For curiositys sake, I will watch the first few episodes of season 4 and see how the writer will be able to salvage the show.
ONE THINGS FOR SURE….. GREY’S ANATOMY WILL NEVER BE THE SAME…. ITS LIKE A BIG PART IS MISSING, A VERY BIG PART THAT IS!
I cant’ remember if it was Episode 2 or 3 of Season 3, but when Izzie was on a leave of absence Miranda went to her and said something along the lines of – everyone makes mistakes, and you’re a talented surgeon and I want you to come back. Not the exact words, but that’s what I remember.
Practice what they write and change it to – Isaiah – you’re talented actor, everyone makes mistakes, but we want you to come back.
Do we think that Isaiah would even consider coming back to a show that has the powers that be watching his every move and listening to his every breath?
What’s done is done – it is what it is…etc., etc.
Dear LSW..
i think the line was said by dr bailey to izzie when she is suspended after cutting denny’s LVAD wire..
i’m totally agree with you that the character of “dr preston burke” is such as strong and powerful person…
he is going to be missed in the next season of Grey’s…
I love you Dr Burke…
LSW, I agree with you. Everyone makes mistakes. If everybody had hearts of flesh, then forgiveness wouldn’t be so hard to come by. But many people, if not most people, have hearts of stone, as cold as ice. Many of these people are in positions of power [ABC, GLAAD]. Preaching tolerance and acceptance, and having neither.
I think that we’ve seen the last of Isaiah on Grey’s Anatomy. I enjoyed the first two seasons immensely. I thought Season Three sucked.
Its going to suck without Isaiah and Kate Walsh. I hope the show isn’t jumping shark by losing two main characters at the same time. I remember when this happened on ER and everything went downhill from there. I won’t stop watching but I will miss Dr. Burke, people should really learn how to forgive. People make mistakes but the ones that don’t forgive are making the biggest mistake.
This isn’t about what Isaiah said or did, it’s about how it was handled. It’s not about ABC, et.al. coming to Isaiah and saying “you made a mistake.” It’s about ABC , et.al. coming to Isaiah and saying “WE made a mistake.” I would LOVE to have that happen, because they DID make a mistake. MUCH bigger than Isaiah’s. Mistakes are a good thing, they help us grow and become better “humans.” BUT, if those mistakes are not acknowleged, there’s no growth and ‘the punisher’ is feeling or seeing themselves as being “right.” So ABC, et.al. – would you rather be RIGHT or HAPPY??
An apology to Isaiah is about forgiveness and moving forward with a clear conscience and knowing that everybody did the best they could with the choices they had at the time.
I SO agree with Hargrove’s post on June 30th. It’s the only one that makes sense.
How did I miss Hargrove’s June 30th posting? I just read it, and I couldn’t agree more if I had written it myself. Hargrove, you hit the nail on the head.
Support Isaiah! Watch Bionic Woman. See ‘The Least of These’ when it hit the theatre. Down with haters, straight and gay.
IW is a jerk and I’m glad he’s gone. Ironically I didn’t feel this way until he continued to embarass himself and all of us by opening his mouth. Every time he opens his mouth he sounds less intelligent. Leave him off, but don’t make Dr. Burke suffer because of him. Recast Burke. It happens all the time. By the next season, we’ll be like “Isaiah Who?”
It just isn’t the same without Burke! They need to bring him back ASAP!!!
I have not watched the show since Burke was fired. Izzy and Georgie are pathetic and their acting is the same.
I agree that Burke was “out of line” with his comment and he addressed it………….let it be over. I cannot stand Callie and I hope she leaves so George and Izzie can hook up but not for ever. Meredith and Derek have to stay together or the foundation of the show is cracked. Bailey is great and I think she should have been chief and I hope Private Practice does not survive because Kate and Alex made a fun couple, but I think Alex is as big A hole.
I choose to believe Isaiah’s story. I did read that Patrick Dempsey and James Pickens said it didn’t happen as reported and TR. Knight wasn’t even present. I didn’t like TR. Knight going on the Ellen show and crying about it. Isaiah went through all that ABC asked of him to show he was sorry over his words and the argument, and they still fired him. It was a set up as far as I am concerned. To mar his reputation the way they did is really sad.
I don’t care what an actor’s sexual preference is or what race they are, I want to be able to watch great actors on a great show. Grey’s was by far the best show on TV. Without Burke it has been seriously damaged. For all the people who are glad Burke is gone, there are many more, I think who wanted him to stay.
At this point, I could care less about the departure of Burke! It bothered me at first that the cast and directors couldn’t get past the issues, but I am over it. This season the show sucks and many people that I know that watched it last season, don’t bother to tune in. Something is missing, maybe it’s Burke?
If Burke’s character returns to GA, it looks like it has to be without Isaiah. He is simply exploding on Bionic Woman. Love him or hate him, you can’t deny his acting prowess.
CSI’s numbers are increasing while GA continues to lose millions of viewers every week. The show is wrecked.
I like the fact that someone in the entertainment history has enough kahuna’s to stand up to this!! Go Isaiah!! More power to ya!! I am tired of getting this sexual preference forced in my kids and my face.
The illusion that the GA cast is one big happy family is forever shattered. Now, they all seem phony, with TR Knight and Catherine Heigl being the most phony. Heigl’s very public demands for more money didn’t help things either.
I think Sandra OH is great, but I really think she is lost without Isaiah Washington on the show. The electricity is gone. Burke’s absence has damaged the show and I don’t think forcing the Izzie/George fiasco down our necks will change that. And what is up with Dereck telling the chief he needs to start dating. If he loves Meredith so much, hang in there. When Meredith was sleeping around (when he was married)it drove him nuts, but he still wanted her, and now that he’s single, he decides it isn’t worth it and he’ll look for someone else. A guy must be writing it now.
What’s really strange about this forum is how people are so readily willing to mix reality with fantasy… Sandra Oh, TR Knight, Catherine Heigl, and even Isaiah Washington aren’t characters on the show. They are real people…real people with human issues.
On the other hand, Christina Lang, George, Izzie, and Burke are all characters. Their lives can be broken or fixed with a keystroke. When you let the real lives of the actor/actress drip into the fantasy, you really get screwed up. George is still a lovable doofus. And I don’t think TR is such a bad actor because he does a damn good job depicting straight guy. I watch Grey’s Anatomy this season. It’s good. True, Burke was my favorite doctor. And I still hope they bring him back. But it doesn’t matter to me if Isiah Washington’s face is attached to him or not. This forum is blurring the lines of reality and I thing you should all just LET IT GO. If you’re not watching anymore, you never were a fan of the show. And it’s insane just to watch a show to see one person…even a bit stalkerish…before Grey’s, I didn’t even know who Isaiah Washington was. What did he do before then? Something, I’m sure. It just didn’t leave a lasting impression obviously. So did Isaiah Washington make Grey’s anatomy? Or did Grey’s anatomy save his career? The show is doing fine without him. He’s doing fine without the show. Fine. Let it go. Burke can still always come back to Seattle Grace. “Burke” is not Isaiah Washington.
I really really really want him back……….he and his love with Dr. Yang is the infinite drive to watch the show for me…..Seriosly? Yeah, seriously. I mean it…..we mean it……
I really hated that he turned out to be a biggot because I REALLY loved his character, Dr. Burke. HOOOOOT.
Responding to keba’s blog entry: It’s not this blog that mixes fantasy with reality. When an excellent actor immerses herself or himself into her or his role and becomes that character for one or two hours, that is when fantasy and reality becomes blurred. I promise you, that is exactly what movie, music, and television producers want, for the viewer or listener to become so involved with the character that the tv show, movie, or song becomes real to them, if just for a while. What was the biggest movie this year? Transformers, a movie based on Hasbro toys.
“And it’s insane just to watch a show to see one person … even a bit stalkerish”. Again, people who don’t understand why Isaiah Washington fans have stopped watching the show simply haven’t seen their favorite actor leave the show. Let Patrick Dempsey leave. The show will crash and burn. Then let’s see who the real stalkers are.
Sean Connery was James Bond. Christopher Reeve was Superman. The list goes on. Of course the actor makes the role. It would be horrendus to put another black actor in the Burke role, but I would like to see another black actor on the show as a new character. I really liked Isaiah as Burke, and I agree that if Patrick Dempsey left it would would be pretty bad. I didn’t like Kate Walsh leaving either, but at least we can see her on Private Practice. In fact I want all the actors to stay. The first few seasons were so great because all the actors had such chemistry together. It is still a good show but the magic is gone without Burke/Isaiah, one of the originals.
On another note, I don’t think Isaiah Washington is a biggot. I listened to him on the Larry King show and I believed him. We will know ever know for sure what really happened I guess.
hello,,. im boycotting greys also….,izzie and knight need learn to roll with the punches, you are what you are,,, and they are,t as good as actor as he is, someone should have stood up for him, and we all know who should have.
I agree with charles brown. Someone should have stood up for Isaiah. But it is clear who really have the power: ABC. If Shonda hadn’t fired Isaiah, she probably would have been looking for a job herself. That would have been it for GA, because Shonda made GA a living thing.
This is the longest thread ever
responding to joelouisbrown:
“people who don’t understand why Isaiah Washington fans have stopped watching the show simply haven’t seen their favorite actor leave the show.”
People who watch shows for the actors hitch their wagon to the wrong horse. I’m a fan of Grey’s because I think Shonda Rhimes is a fantastic writer. Her stories are compelling, regardless of the poor acting. For this reason I continue to watch Grey’s and I watch Private Practice as well.
responding to joelouisbrown and charles brown:.
I did enjoy Burke’s character, but I find it hard to muster support for an actor who consistantly says and does things that harm them image of a whole race of people. The “angry black man” is just a bad a stereotype as “gangster rapper” or “ghetto project people”. And IW continues to say things that can be taken the wrong way and make him look bad. You don’t swallow your food before you chew it, you shouldn’t speak words without thinking about them…chew it over a little, then speak… you know? His latest comment that a black man calling a black woman a B-word is more acceptable than anyone else calling a black woman a B-word…is just a perfect example that sometimes something you think may sound OK before you say it, really doesn’t…after it comes out of your mouth. Don’t celebrities have “handlers” just for these reasons?
Keba, get your Isaiah “facts” right!
Isaiah Washington did not say the things you attributed to him. Isaiah Thomas, the Knicks coach did!
During a deposition for a law suit in which Anucha Browne Sanders sued Isaiah Thomas for sexual harassment, Thomas distinguished between a white man calling a black woman a bitch and a black man doing the same thing . . .
Also, get your power relationships straight! Isaiah Washington is not empowered to “(say and do) things that harm the image of a whole race of people.” He is only empowered to say and do things that harm HIS image!
Finally, Isaiah Washington did nothing beyond what anyone would do when confronted with a heated, spit spraying, aggression, in their face, verbal attack from another. He put Patrick Dempsey on notice, “I am not a bitch, punk or faggot!”
Isaiah never referred to himself as an “angry black man,” but he did say, “I’m mad as hell!” after he was fired. I guess that, for you, it was justification enough to project onto him “angry black man” “a bad stereotype” “gangster rapper” and “ghetto project people.” With attitudes like your, it is no wonder that it is so easy to screw African Americans.
For anyone interested, I think I’ve figured out why ABC took so long to “fire” Isaiah. They knew that they hired Glenn Beck after he used the word faggot, and that they retained, and ultimately gave a raise to, T.R. Knight, after he used the word. Hence, firing Isaiah, on that basis, would leave them open to charges of discrimination. So, they waited for his contract to expire and asserted that the reason for his departure was that his character had been written out of the series. I don’t think that excuse would hold up in court. Isaiah should sue ABC for discrimination!
Responding to Keba:
At least we agree that the acting on GA is poor. They fired their best actor. I did not hear Isaiah make that comment about black men calling black women the “b” word. If he said that, he is totally out of line. I am not sure where you heard this. Please tell me where I can read that comment. At any rate, that comment did not get anywhere near the press that Isaiah got when he made a statement about a white gay person. Maybe that is something that we all should be concerned about. There are white gay power blocks who won’t allow one negative word to be said about a white gay person, but they won’t say one word when someone slams black people. And they have the nerve to tell us that we are in the same boat; that we are fighting the same battle. Oh, no we’re not.
Should Isaiah put a muzzle on it at times? Sure. But there are people in Sierre Lorne who are alive today thanks to the generosity of Isaiah. I think I’ll forgive him for being a little too outspoken.
I think Isaiah Washington as Br. Burke was one of the best characters on TV. I don’t know of anyone who watched Grey’s that didn’t like his character and his acting. Grey’s will never be the same. One of their own is missing and his absence still overshadows the show. The unfortunate incident that caused his firing to me is still very suspicious. I think someone at ABC wanted him out and found an excuse to get rid of him. Just my opinion. I also wonder why he has been treated so badly and why so many people are so eager to bash him even more. He didn’t commit murder or rape or beat someone, he said something that was blown out of proportion and he will probably have to live with that the rest of his life. It is sad. I am supporting Bionic Woman and his new movie whenever it comes out.
To Hargrove and Keba:
Hargrove, you are right. I did not remember hearing that Isaiah Washington called a black woman a “b”, but I do remember Isaiah Thomas is being sued for sexual harassment by one of his employees. I must admit, if Isaiah Thomas made the statements that he is accused of making, and did the things that he is accused of doing, shame on him.
But look how quick some of us are to believe the worse about Isaiah Washington! All we have to do is hear the name ‘Isaiah’ with some negative action, and it must be Isaiah Washington! I feel sorry for him, because it is clear that there is a large amount of people who don’t like him, and those people are white AND black.
Everybody is scared of the “angry black man”. Nancy Grace shows anger every single night, and nobody calls her the angry white woman. Both T.R. Knight and Patrick Dempsey expressed anger, yet no one calls T.R. the anger gay man, and no one calls Patrick Dempsey anything but McDreamy. But let Isaiah Washington express anger, and he is the stereotypical “angry black man”. Who came up with that label anyway? I’m sure it wasn’t a black person. Most (certainly not all) black people know that to this day, there is plenty to be angry about. Should we be angry about Genarlow Wilson and the Jena 6, or should we stick our heads in the sand? If we choose the latter, we do so at our own risk, and ensure our demise.
Hargrove:
It’s the end of a year…and I still don’t care either way about IW’s role/job. If he’s there or not, it doesn’t put food on my table. But while we’re chatting, just let me put YOU “on notice”
Maybe YOU should “get your power relationships” straight!
1. EVERY black person has the power to HURT or HARM the image of an entire race of people. The world is watching and your words, ways and actions are all they see. If they don’t know you personally, you get stereotyped by what they see. I didn’t make this world. It was given to me this way. But it is what it is. Deal with it.
2. I said the “angry black man”, “ghetto project people” and “gangster rapper” were bad stereotypes. Bad means not good. Stereotype means a broad generalization based on some common factor (usually race). These are bad stereotypes that are placed on black people by society based on characteristics that have been exhibited at some point in time by individual people. Who came up with them? I don’t know. But that doesn’t change the fact that these stereotypes exist and people are the fuel for them.
That being said, I don’t wish to continue this asinine discussion. It’s moot.
I heard something interesting today about Mitt Romney not “pardoning” a decorated war hero for something immature he did with a BB gun when he was a kid. I also heard Katherine Heigl say, more than once, about consequences for Isaiah’s gay slur. I don’t want this to sound like it’s right or wrong about these two wonderful people that have the same religious beliefs. My question is if someone says something that most people could let go of and chalk it up to a stupid mistake, do people like Katherine or Mitt declare that the person must pay a consequence that doesn’t fit the crime for the rest of their life? This may be deleted before it hits the forum, but it just seems weird that Katherine continues to feel superior to IW based on what she said when he was supporting the writers picket line (He’s not with me!) I love her as an actress but that comment was inappropriate.
Did anyone ever bring up that the lyrics to Dire Straits – Money For Nothing? It’s never been banned and it’s okay to play it on the radio for everyone, including little kids to hear… The lyrics I’m referring to:
“:The little faggot with the earring and the makeup
Yeah, buddy, that’s his own hair
That little faggot got his own jet airplane
That little faggot he’s a millionaire..”
This is a song has been played thousands and thousands of times…and it’s not going away. I JUST HEARD IT TODAY.
i Would LOVE to have both Isaiah and Katherine together with Barbara Walters or Dr. Phil since I truly believe that Katherine had everything to do with the “consequence” of Isaiah being fired based on her religious belief of “weakness is not a legitimate excuse for failure to obey God.” They need to work this out. I still miss Isaiah as I would any of the main character’s. It worked, it clicked. The show still misses him too, why else would they keep referring to him in just about every show since the season started?
Okay – I just want to know if anyone has any knowledge of consequences and forgiveness in the Mormon faith and how this played a part in Isaiah’s firing.. Forgiveness is crucial for this man to move forward and put this behind him.
What a great observation! I, too, have heard and read KH saying she was a great believer in consequences. A consequence of losing his job for saying something offensive and stupid is much greater than what would make sense. Is there something to the question of making someone pay for a mistake for the rest of their life crap with KH? It’s not about saying what he said was ok, it’s about letting it go and letting him get on with his life as there’s still much energy around this firing.
Based on her well-deserved popularity at the moment, makes me wonder if she gave the powers that be an “either he goes or I do.” No wonder there was tension on the set.
And…why hasn’t the “I want my MTV” song ever been banned for gay slurs?”
To the show – once the writers come back – please stop all reference to Burk – it really makes me miss his character even more, if that’s possible!
I agree with MacGuyver. Great letter.
I also think KH did a lot of damage to his career but continuing to talk about it. Did anybody watch the lame Barbara Walters special? For one thing I don’t believe he called TR. Knight a F— and that is why he said what he did at the Golden Globes.
When KH won an Emmy this year, she said “Oh Shit” on camera. And then she made a comment about her Mom that wasn’t very nice. Real Classy.
I think this whole situation was blown way out of porportion !!!! I really miss Isaiah so much, the show is just not the same without him!!!! I think all he had to do was apologize for the remark and all should have been forgiven in my opinion. People get pissed off sometimes and say things they regret. I don’t understand the big deal at all. I just don’t get it !!!!!!!!
Should get Burke back to surprise everyone!
bring isaiah back, and the show might be number 1 again
While pretending to explain all of that “fairy tail” stuff, Bill Clinton made a racially divisive statement that probably resounded in the ears of some people, as a call to protect “their own.” He said that for African Americans, a vote for Barack Obama is “a source of enormous pride . . .” Signaling that an African American vote for Barack is a vote for racial pride. Inferentially, if African Americans are voting racially, white Americans should do the same . . .
http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/248854
Let isaiah back,it is bore without buker.
I hate to see him go. I like the character he played on Grey’s Anatomy. So sad.
GET ISAIAH BACK !!!!!!!!!!!! Come on ! I love T.R’s character, and although he had the right, and he was right to feel hurt and offended, a season of grey’s anatomy without Burke’s just not the same !!!
The few shows of Grey’s Anatomy I watched this year were missing something–BURKE!!
When I saw the epsiode where his picture was on the bulletin board, I, along with other friends thought for sure he was coming back. What a tease. What gives? The show needs him to survive. What is even sadder is that Isaiah’s career is severely damaged because somebody blabbed to the press. How many people say things they regret? C’mon ABC rehire the guy. He paid his dues.
merle…
i thought so…
please bring back Burke to the show…
please bring burke back. the show is boring. izzy and george boring.
missing burke terribly, pls bring him back. sick of izzy and george.
I am sick of izzy and george. how come a two best friends get involve about six. In this way, there’s no best freiends betwen man and women. Sad. Oh, can somebody bring berke back to the show. I like when he is with cristina
Burke and Cristina were the most lovely couple in the show… I miss Burke. The show never be the same.