Isaiah Washington reignites feud with Grey’s Anatomy co-star Katherine Heigl

A Grey’s Anatomy star has posted a furious tweet about Katherine Heigl, fanning the flames of their ugly decade-long spat.

Grey’s Anatomy star Isaiah Washington has reignited his years-long feud with former co-star Katherine Heigl.

Taking to Twitter, Washington posted a photo of Heigl and recalled the time she said he should not speak in public.

Heigl made the comment in 2007 when Washington was reported to have used a homophobic slur aimed at his co-star, T.R. Knight, during an argument with Patrick Dempsey.

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This woman once proclaimed that I should ‘never’ be allowed to speak publicly again. The world agreed with her proclamation back then and protested for my job and my head in 65 languages. I wish I was on Twitter in 2007, because I will NEVER stop exercising my free speech. pic.twitter.com/fQ6L1zfQRR

— The Tweet Sniper💥 (@IWashington) November 16, 2020

It’s unclear what prompted Washington to speak out about Heigl.

In another tweet, Washington clapped back at a follower who defended Heigl. He said Heigl was not defending her gay friend, and dragged actress Chandra Wilson into the drama, writing she “knows all about that too”.

When one follower asked Washington why he was bringing the drama back up 10 years later, he wrote: “Because it’s the TRUTH. The End.”

Meanwhile, a source close to Heigl told Fox News: “Katherine stood up for her close friend twice when Isaiah publicly outed him and called him a f****t. That’s hate talk, not free speech. She is proud that she stood up for him. Katherine is and always will be an advocate and ally to [the] LGBTQ community.”

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Isaiah Washington played Preston Burke.

Katherine Heigl played Dr Izzie.

Heigl, known for her role as Dr Izzie Stevens on the hit drama, said at the time the slur left her “furious and frustrated”. She also claimed in an interview with Entertainment Weekly that Washington apologised to her on set over the feud.

“Isaiah thanked me, which I didn’t understand,” she told the outlet.

“He was almost grateful. I don’t know Isaiah well, but he takes his work seriously and he loves his character.”

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The cast of Grey’s Anatomy.

Washington reportedly denied making the slur at the Golden Globe Awards that same year, though soon issued a length apology statement.

He exited the show after Season 3 following the accusation.

While speaking about his departure on the Fox program Isaiah Washington: Kitchen Talk in July this year, he explained why he decided to publicly apologise for the incident.

“The story was a lie and misconstrued. But as a family guy, a father, I thought I was helping the family,” Washington said.

He also said he wouldn’t ever apologise for it again.

“That’s why I’ll never apologise again – to this day,” he said. “That’s why Trump doesn’t apologise, because when you apologise for something, then that it is admitted to wrong – doing something wrong. I did nothing wrong.”

Meanwhile, Heigl’s last appearance on the show was in January 2010, two years after she reportedly ruffled feathers for pulling her name from an Emmy contention.

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Katherine Heigl caused tensions after pulling her name from Emmys contention in 2008. Picture: Adrian Sanchez-Gonzalez/AFP

She later told radio icon Howard Stern that she didn’t pull her name, and instead never submitted herself in the first place because she wasn’t proud of her performance. She claimed it had to do with a lack of “emotional material” for her character.

In a recent interview with the Los Angeles Times, showrunner Krista Vernoff recalled having to rewrite the script after Heigl did not appear for her farewell episode.

“All I know is that the night before a thing is supposed to start shooting that is entirely centred on one character and the completion of her story arc, I got a phone call that she wasn’t coming to do it. That’s what it is to be a TV writer and producer. So, yeah, do I wish I could go back and do that differently? Sure,” Vernoff told the outlet.

A source close to Heigl, however, denied Vernoff’s claim, calling it untrue.

Grey’s Anatomy is currently in its 17th season, and its recent premiere episode shocked fans with the return of Dr Derek Shepherd, played by Patrick Dempsey.

Reps for Heigl, Washington and Wilson did not immediately respond to request for comment.

This story originally appeared on Fox News and has been reproduced here with permission

Originally published as Isaiah Washington reignites feud with Grey’s Anatomy co-star Katherine Heigl