hahahahahha I seriously just did a poll about this asking if Washington should be fired.

I think using the f-word is entirely hurtful and should not be tolerated. Katherine hiegel was right- he really just needs to keep his mouth shut. He is just making himself look like a bigger idiot

I think that Washington is pretty ignorant, first to use that word then to deny it. Hope that he makes up for it somehow.

I read that Casablanca brought it up after their win in the press area at the GG's and pissed everyone off..thats when Washington yelled at Casblanca I never called him a F@@@@t! So the beat goes on.. hmm. I like Washington's character on the show but producers can't put up with anger issues and slurs. His days are more than likely numbered if this is all true.

Not only was what he said completly un called for but then to go and deny it and make it look like the 'victim' is lying just makes it worse...he is digging a hole that i dont think he can get out of!

TR is obviously hurt. I have no idea how the cast can go on with Isaiah Washington in their midst. I love Burke as a character but really feel that something needs to be done about IW.

I'm just not sure what yet.

Never offend people with style when you can offend them with substance.

- Sam Brown

Good for Katherine for sticking up for her friend... seeing as Isaiah himself is a minority, you would think he would identify with the fact that using the "n word" is just as inappropriate as using the "f word."

UNEXCEPTABLE!!! Haven't we come further than this? That man should be fired (IW)!!
I am glad he has such good friends around him. IW should go on TV and apoligize for his disgusting behavior. He is no better than Michael Richards from Seinfield in my book. What horrible things people say!!!

He is an a**hole and he knows damn well if TR call him a n*gger all hell would break loose so why would he use that word again! What a jackass then deny it UGH I dont watch the show but something needs to be done about his actions not professional at all

If someone called him the N word, al sharpton would throw such a fit. I hope he's (IW) gone soon. He's got no class.
TR is such a cutie I just want to bite his cheek. I'm sure all the castmates are so uncomfortable on set.

TR is adorable and im always rooting for Georgy!!

Damm -- he's gay -- Man I swear I fall for all the gay boys. I really, really, really love his character -- man -- he's gay -- damm. Yeah screw Washington -- but crap -- TR is gay -- damm!

I'm no fan of the George character, but this is so wrong. It will probably be brought up the rest of IW's career. He's even a more self-absorbed jerk than his Grey's character.

between mel, michael richards and isaiah, hollywood has sure hit the trifecta of intolerance over these last six months! i know they're just three individuals, but it should show people how far our society still has to go

Isaiah Washington - there are just no words to describe his hateful actions. Katherine Heigl is right - he needs to shut up.

but thats what i dont understand such a big deal was made out of what Mel & michael said and this one seems to just now being made a big deal of...i think his comment is just as bad the others!

I agree Sarah I think it is equally as hurtful and bad. I dont like the way Shondra tried to just brush it off like the media made it all up. For someone who encourages diversity on t.v. she should be the first one to stand up and reprimand Isaiah for his actions

This is such bullsh*t! He should be taken to task just like anyone who would be if they called him the n word. And then he denies it? WTF? He should be fired immediately & anyone and everyone involved with Grey's needs to come out against IW and in support of TR Knight.

If you think that this comment is just as bad as the others than you have a very very long way to go. Yes he was wrong for using that word.
But in NO WAY is it the same as calling a dark/brown skinned person the N-word. Years and years of slavery and racial matters go into that word. Which is not quite the same!!!
The only reason why Isaiah said it at the press event is because they were asking about the subject again. This topic has even been discussed on Oprah!
So for the press to ask it on that event was just tempting to make trouble. And for people to make it bigger than it is, means they reached their goal. And it's stupid ass discussions like this and people like this that don't give things a chance to get solved in peace (like Katherine Heigl said: it's inhouse/between castmembers and makers of the show) But you all keep the fire burning if it makes you feel better about yourself

Once again: in NO WAY is it the same as calling a dark/brown skinned person the N-word. Years and years of slavery and racial matters go into that word. Which is not quite the same!!!
If you don't know open a history book. And if you think you know, stop being ignorant. And stop trying to compare calling dark/brown people the N-word to other things, because one thing isn't another.

TR is such a sweetheart, i feel so bad for him! and his awe of ellen was so adorable

That was the most uncomfortable looking bunch of people I may have ever seen. I don't blame Shonda Rimes for not wanting to handle it right then and there (especially since her speech was essentially hijacked) but I can't imagine that there won't be fallout now that so many people are talking.

I was actually watching him on Ellen as I was getting ready to go to work this afternoon and I have to say I was totally tearing up! He so clearly felt awkward about the whole thing and was really hurt by it. I totally wanted to reach into the TV and give him a hug!

I heart T.R. and I heart George (and Callie!).

This fued has gone long enough. Some people just need to keep thier mouth shut, and move on.

**~~Everyone who's anyone has been on sesame street.~~**

lying only puts you in a worse position, Washington needs to own up and move on

i think t.r. is such a cutie too. i loved how he had so much respect and admiration for ellen (:

i think isaiah should not speak in public about this anymore too because he tries to downplay it, when it's actually a big deal. it's such an ugly word and i agree when ellen said we should just try to avoid saying hurtful things

What a little stupid man Washington is.

yeah i watched the video interview that inside edition or whatever show did with Isaiah Washington where he talks about not "ever ever" calling TR the "f" word and then how he and Patrick Dempsey sing "ebony and ivory" on the set every night since they had a fight way back when, and he just came across and an incredibly condescending jacka$$. he kept saying how apparently he played a gay character ONCE in some movie and how this apparently should prove that he would NEVER label anyone that word. that doesn't prove crap Isaiah. Your entire cast heard you and now the world knows. Instead of pretending like you did nothing wrong why not act seek true redemption, apologize and MEAN IT. i signed that petition to fire him, i doubt it will do anything, but it sure made me feel a whole lot better, especially after seeing TR on Ellen. He is just QUALITY in every sense of the word.

I love T.R., I love his character. Seeing this just makes me like him even more.

for anyone that wants to sign the petition to FIRE ISAIAH WASHINGTON here's the link... http://www.petitiononline.com/at343sh7/petition.html

Random I am
what a big fat...damn u Isaiah

There IS a long history of hatred against gay people, and it IS in history books as well as on the news everyday. Who was thrown into the gas chambers and beaten along side innocent Jewish people by the Nazi's in WW2: gays. Who are among those being beaten by Russian street gangs: the gays. Even children are beaten-up and heckled by their schoolyard peers when they are suspected to be gay. Calling a gay person a f***** is wrong because the word DOES mean something, and it DOES have a history of hatred behind it, just like the many other discriminatory words that some ignorant people still choose to use. Isaiah Washington should apologize to Mr. Knight for using such a hateful word against him, and to the public for assuming we are stupid enough to believe his lying denial when many people on set have admitted they heard him use the word.

Well I disagree, Lo_lola. No one here said the "n word" was "the same" as the "f word" but a slur is a slur. And, throughout history gay people have been (and continue to be) discriminated against and put down, with very little protection under the law, unlike people of color.

You know, I remember this in the tabloids back in the Fall, but I was really hoping it wasn't true.

This is not even a case where someone said something stupid and should "shut their mouths." This is a clear case of bigotry - it's not the "same" at the n-word, or the s-word for latinos or any other slur because they all exist in different social, economic, and historical contexts. But I do believe that the effect of the use of the word is just as bad - because it promotes biggotry and divisiveness.

I hope they let this guy go from the show. Seriously, I don't even want to watch Isaiah Washington on TV anymore. I'm not sure I can even stomach watching his scenes with Sandra Oh, who I love, he disgusts me that much.

And sending out HUGE electronic hugs to TR.

TR is really cute. It really hurt me when i heard what Isiah said. I feel sorry for him.

First of all disagree or not, it was said. So read again. And second of all once again I say the he was wrong for using that word but it makes me sick to see that it is really being defended. That calling someone this, is the same as calling someone the n-word. I guess that says it all about how people still think and feel in 2007! I've read comments many times on this site and this one I had to register up for.
But I'm sad I did so. People don't change apparently. Let's all take this and be happy we have someting to hate the black man. Lets'get him fired!
If this world will ever change, it's because people like you are no longer in it. People like you and those media bloodsuckers who are eager to keep the storm going instead of giving it a chance to lay low. Be proud of yourself people.

yawn.

Why is he denying something he already admitted?

i really used to like isiaih, but after this and him now actually denying it, has made me lose respect for him. a hurtful word is a hurtful word, no matter whether it's the n-word or the f-word or any other slur for that matter! i think we all know there are bad words out there and if we make the choie to use them, then man up and take the consequences!

choie = choice

Team TR! Seriously, IW is an a$$hole, it's bad enough that he called TR what he did, but when you make a mistake like that, you APOLOGISE for it, both to that person, and to the public who have read about it, you don't deny it! Clearly IW denying what he said was just adding insult to injury for TR!
Oh, and Lo_lola; I am not a black person, so I don't know how hurtful the n word would feel, but nor am I a gay person, so I don't know how hurtful the f word would feel. My point being, that everything is relative and it really doesn't matter about which word has a longer 'history'. IW himself is not a slave & I'm pretty sure neither were his parents or grand-parents, TR however, IS a gay man & is having to face the stigma that still surronds homosexuality in 2007. I'm not saying one is worse than the other, but you shouldn't be saying that either, because unless you are a gay, black man, you really have no place making judgement calls on which word is more hurtful. Also, RE "Let's all take this and be happy we have something to hate the black man. Let's get him fired" That is a little ridiculous I think IW's race is totally irrelevant in this case, it it was a white co-star that said this, the backlash would have been exactly the same, you only have to look at the recent backlash surronding the Micheal Richards and Mel Gibson slurs to see that the public regard this kind of behavior as totally unacceptable, whether it's coming from a white man's mouth or a black man's mouth! And assuming that we WANT to hate Isiah because he is black, shows you are just as racist as you are accusing us to be!

Lo_Lola,
How can you think we're trying to find reasons to hate a black man? That's insulting, and makes you seem very ignorant.
We're defending a man, and a group of people, who are being harrassed and hated on for no reason at all.
And yes, this says all about how good people think in 2007. We're not just against racism, we're against discrimination of all kind. Whether it's based on gender, color, sexual preferences or anything else.

I'm not commenting on what happened on the Grey's set. I just want to say that most Blacks/ African Americans hate it when racism is compared to homophobia. When I walk down the street there are two things you know about me, my race and my gender. Those are two things I can not hide nor would I want to. On Dr. Kings birthday I was looking at photos from the civil rights era. I saw pictures of people being hosed and attacked by police dogs. I looked at pictures of people at sit ins at lunch counters, who had drinks poured on their heads. The people attacking them only saw there skin color. What school you were allowed to go to was determined by the color of your skin. Where you could live was determined by the color of your skin. In some places that is still the case. Even after
Brown vs the Board of Education it took some states until the late 1970's to intergrate their schools. In most cities the schools are segregated again because when blacks moved in whites moved out. Racism can not be compared to homophobia. The impact of racism on the lives of an entire group of people is still being felt to this day.

I'm glad he didn't protect Issiah and exposed him for what he said!

In other news, why does Ellen always shy away from talking about herself and her experience? Like, I know she's there to interview, etc., but he was trying to thank her for coming out and paving the way and all she did was cut him off and say "It was a different time".

They wouldn't be discussing this issue if it was truly a different time

I am a black girl and I am all for Isiah getting fired. A hate word is a hate word it doesn't matter if you are black, white, asian, hispanic, gay or straight we all get angry and hurt. People are talking about slavery but homosexuals have also been persecuted and even today a lot of people don't come out because of that fear that was put in them. You cannot compare the n-word to the f-word but you can say that the same way it drives black people crazy to be a called a n**** is just like a homosexul person being call an f or a d***. I have gay friends and what Katherine Heigl did was the mark of a true friend.

I don't need to say anything else because Brokenhalo & Nyaradzom said exactly what I was thinking & they said it very well.

Here's my thoughts as someone who has NEVER used language of hate- even when quoting others (my mother raught me when I was young the power that words hold).
1. Good for Ted Casablancas for trying to get a straight answer on this issue. I'm glad someone had the guts to call Washington on his behavior in a place where he couldn't back out. There have been rumors for a long time that Washington is overly aggressive and cruel to others. He finally showed how thoughtless he can be.

2. Good for Katherine Heigl for calling Washington out on his unacceptable behavior.

3. Good for Knight for standing up for himself.

4. I think Grey's should fire Washington. No one is irreplaceable and his behavior will continue to hurt the show.

That's it. I know very well that race is not irrelevant. I also know that sexual orientation is not as easily discriminated against as race. But hate speech is hate speech. Period. Not defensible, and certainly not to be continually defended.

BaltimoreGal

What really peeved me when I read some of the posts was the thought that if TR was black and Isiah was white Al Sharpton and the usual freaking suspets would be out there calling a press conference and demanding an apoloy and talking about national healing, this would have made headline news. A big deal should be made about this just as it was made about Mel and KKKramer.

I agree, Nyaradzom. Hate is hate no matter what it's directed at. Race, religion, gender, sexual orientation - it doesn't matter.

The problem I have with Washington is that he's a repeat offender. There were stories of him on other sets fighting with people. There needs to be consequences for actions like that.

God these feuds seem to go on forever....just like rosie and donald

God these feuds seem to go on forever....just like rosie and donald