‘The haters have won’: Grey’s Anatomy star Isaiah Washington announces ‘early retirement’ from acting

Actor was fired from medical drama in 2007

Grey’s Anatomy actor Isaiah Washington has announced his “early retirement” from acting due to “the haters”.

The ator, who played Dr Preston Burke in the medical drama’s first three seasons, revealed the news in a statement shared on his Twitter page.

Washington was fired from the show in June 2007 after using a gay slur against co-star TR Knight.

In a statement at the time, he said: “I can neither defend nor explain my behaviour. I can also no longer deny to myself that there are issues I obviously need to examine within my own soul, and I’ve asked for help.”

The actor has been vocal about his dismissal from the series, expressing surprise at his firing as he “did everything that the producers and the network asked me to do”.

In 2014, he told I Am Entertainment magazine: “I don’t worry about whether or not the stories I tell will destroy my acting career, because you can’t take away something that doesn’t exist. They killed the actor [in me] on June 7, 2007”

Writing in his retirement announcement, Washington said: “It is with a heavy heart and a sense of relief that I am announcing my early retirement from the entertainment industry today,” he told his fans, adding: “It seems that the haters, provocateurs and the Useful Idiots have won.”

The actor, who said he was politically aligned with the Republican Party in 2019, continued: “I’m no longer interested in the back and forth regarding a ‘color construct’ that keeps us human beings divided nor am I interested in politics or anything vitriolic. I will be traveling this great country before it falls into Socialism and then Communism.”

Isaiah Washington (Getty Images)

He added: “I am truly grateful for your support over the years. It looks like CORSICANA #CorsicanaMovie may be the last time you see me as an Actor born here in America. Just know that I will be posting a few pictures of my retirement shenanigans here and there, but until then. Be safe out there. Your loved ones love you and need you. SALUTE!”