Grey’s Anatomy: Why Isaiah Washington’s Burke Left In Season 3

Apparently, Patrick Dempsey was actually the main target of the homophobic slur, as Isaiah Washington and he had a tumultuous on-set relationship. The two were both introduced in Grey’s Anatomy season 1, and their touch-and-go relationships with Meredith Grey and Cristina Yang definitely mirrored each other. However, that doesn’t mean that the two actors got along in any sense. Washington claims that Patrick Dempsey started the argument that lead up to the slur. According to Washington, he felt as though Dr. McDreamy wasn’t treating him with respect and the argument really started over Dempsey’s lateness to set. Dempsey then became angry that Washington made comments about not needing actress Ellen Pompeo and claimed that he can act just fine on his own. Understandably, this made Dempsey more upset. The fight came to a head when Washington used the homophobic slur.

Although Washington denies that the slur was in reference to fellow actor T.R. Knight (who exited Grey’s Anatomy with George’s death in season 6), multiple accounts claim that Washington used a slur linked to Knight’s sexual preferences when arguing with Dempsey. It was subsequently revealed that the pair had a physical altercation on the set leading up to the outburst. Washington later explained (via Larry King Live) that he never called Knight an “F-word” but was telling co-star Dempsey not to treat him like an “F-word.” When asked what he meant by the term, if not about Knight, Washington said that, to him, the word meant someone who was “weak” or “a person who is not deserving of respect.” Washington issued an apology after the incident but came under fire again when he repeated the term in an interview at the Golden Globes several months later, replying to reporters who inquired about the Grey’s Anatomy on-set incident.

Following Washington’s remarks at the Golden Globes, ABC decided not to renew Washington’s contract and fired him from the show. Years later, in 2014, Washington’s character returned to Grey’s Anatomy for co-star Sandra Oh’s last episode, “We Are Never Getting Back Together.” Still, show creator and executive producer Shonda Rhimes stated that his return was only to bring closure to Cristina Yang’s storyline. The incident with Washington in 2006 has received new attention with the recent release of Lynette Rice’s book How to Save a Life: The Inside Story of Grey’s Anatomy, in which Patrick Dempsey’s on-set behavior has also been called into question. Off the back of the release, Washington doubled down on comments about Dempsey, insisting that star Ellen Pompeo had been paid to keep the controversy quiet.