Knight Reveals Why He Really Left 'Grey's'

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Entertainment Weekly

Now that T.R. Knight is officially done with 'Grey's Anatomy', he's coming clean about his love/hate relationship with the show and what really went down between him and Isaiah Washington on set. Knight told Entertainment Weekly that after the infamous clash, there was a "breakdown of communication" between him and executive producer Shonda Rhimes and that once he came out of the closet, his time on set was just a countdown to his exit.

'Grey's Anatomy' became the focus of tabloid news after Washington called Knight a "f----t" during an on-set argument with co-star Patrick Dempsey. At that time, Knight questioned whether it was time to come out or not, admitting he felt pressure from his producers to keep his sexuality out of the media.

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T.R. Knight Snapshots

Katherine Heigl and T.R. Knight attend the after party for the premiere of 'The Ugly Truth' on July 16 in Hollywood. More T.R. Knight Photos >>

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T.R. Knight Snapshots

Katherine Heigl and T.R. Knight at Columbia Pictures' "The Ugly Truth" Premiere on July 16, 2009 at Pacific' s Cinerama Dome in Hollywood, California. Columbia Pictures Premiere Of "The Ugly Truth" Cinerama Dome Hollywood, CA United States July 16, 2009 Photo by Eric Charbonneau/WireImage.com To license this image (16871383), contact WireImage.com

Eric Charbonneau/WireImage.com

LOS ANGELES, CA - JULY 16: Actors Katherine Heigl (L) and T.R. Knight pose at the afterparty for the premiere of Columbia Pictures' "The Ugly Truth" at Boulevard3 on July 16, 2009 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Katherine Heigl;T.R. Knight

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Actress Katherine Heigl and actor T.R. Knight attend the after party for the Los Angeles premiere of "The Ugly Truth" at the Pacific's Cinerama Dome on July 16, 2009 in Hollywood, California. "The Ugly Truth" Los Angeles Premiere - After Party BOULEVARD3 Hollywood, CA United States July 16, 2009 Photo by John Shearer/WireImage.com To license this image (16871111), contact WireImage.com

John Shearer/WireImage.com

FILE - In this Aug. 16, 2008 file photo, actor T.R. Knight poses on the press line at the 3rd annual "Hot in Hollywood" charity event benefiting the AIDS Healthcare Foundation in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Dan Steinberg, File)

©BAUER-GRIFFIN.COM T.R. Knight is spotted supervising the renovation of his home in Los Feliz. EXCLUSIVE June 20, 2009 Job: 90620W11 Los Angeles, California www.bauergriffin.com www.bauergriffinonline.com

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"I think [Rhimes] was concerned about having my statement come out so close to the [initial] event," he said. Rhimes denied this to EW though, saying "I said, 'If you want to come out, that's awesome.'"

But by the time season five rolled around, Knight began to see his character George O'Malley slowly written out of the script. According to EW, for the first nine episodes of season five, Knight appeared on screen a total of only 48 minutes, compared to 114 for Sandra Oh's Christina. "My five-year experience proved to me that I could not trust any answer that was given [about George]," Knight said. "And with respect, I'm going to leave it at that."

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Although there was much speculation about Knight's departure from the show, cast mate Katherine Heigl tried to keep him from leaving. "The whole thing just broke my heart... I didn't think it was the right decision. I felt like some of the problems could be worked through. But by the time it came to fruition, I was [glad] for him because he was ready to go," Heigl added.

To Knight, it seems that walking away from the show is a relief. "There just comes a time when it's so clear that moving on is the best decision... From an outsider's perspective, I get the [impression that] 'He's just a spoiled actor... he doesn't know how good he has it.' There are a lot of people who would like to be in my position. But in the end, I need to be fulfilled in my work ? that's more important than the money. [So] that's the goal. If I'm lucky to ever work again," Knight said.

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2009-07-23 09:07:55

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