Has Isaiah Washington Been Fired After All?

Actor Isaiah Washington will try to persuade the nation he is not a homophobe when his anti-hate PSA debuts tonight during back-to-back episodes of "Grey's Anatomy" 9-11 p.m. on ABC. Meanwhile his return to the set of the hit drama in July remains uncertain.

According to Washington's rep Howard Bragman, the actor fully expects to be back in the fall. The rep also said that although the deal is not done, Washinton has no reason to believe he won't be putting on the scrubs.

Last week's season finale episode left the fate of Washington's character Dr. Preston Burke uncertain after he called off his wedding to intern Christina Yang and moved out of the apartment.

Yesterday, New York Post reported that Washington will no longer be a regular on the blockbuster drama, but he may show up in a number of future episodes as a recurring character.

According to the tabloid, the cast - especially the women - simply do not like the actor. US Weekly reported in October that he is, however, considered to be good friends with the show creator Shonda Rhimes.

The actor's employment has been in question ever since the Golden Globes Press Room fiasco when he used the homophobic slur f***** in connection with gay co-star T.R. Knight, for the second time (the initial incident occurred in October 2006).

At the time, co-star Katherine Heigl who is good friends with T.R. Knight, said Isaiah Washington should not be allowed to speak publicly. Following pressure from gay rights groups the actor agreed to do an anti-hate Public Service Announcement.

According to spoiler sleuths at TV Guide and E! Online, the actor's future with the show remains uncertain and he has just had several meetings to discuss other non-Grey's roles during the regular TV season.

That means he either already knows he will not be returning to the set on a regular basis, or he is trying to come up with a Plan B, should ABC and Shonda Rhimes decide not to renew his contract.

I personally believe if ABC is indeed letting Isaiah Washington go they should have done that months ago.

After the original incident ABC pretended as if nothing happened, and then after the second one in January they reproached him and distanced themselves from his comments.

I believe they should have acknowledged the incident and distanced themselves from his comments immediately in October, and then fired the actor in January regardless of ongoing storylines.

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