Their time on Grey's Anatomy may be long over, but Isaiah Washington and Katherine Heigl's drama is still resurfacing.
In November, the actor took to Twitter with a message directed at his former co-star. "This woman once proclaimed that I should 'never' be allowed to speak publicly again," he wrote alongside with a photo of Heigl. "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."
While it's not entirely unclear what led Washington to share now, it's no secret the two have bad blood. In fact, back in 2007, Heigl called him out for allegedly using a homophobic slur toward their fellow castmate T.R. Knight.
"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," a source close to Heigl previously told E! News. "She is proud that she stood up for him. Katherine is and always will be an advocate and ally to the LGBTQ community."
Meanwhile, that same year, Washington told Access Hollywood he "did not call T.R. a f----t" and that the alleged encounter never happened: "There is no way I could do anything so vile, and so horrible not only to a castmate, but to a fellow human being."
His response prompted Heigl to future criticize Washington. "I'm going to be really honest right now, he needs to just not speak in public. Period," she told Access Hollywood, per People. "I'm sorry, that did not need to be said. I'm not OK with it."
Then, just days after fans learned Washington would not be returning to the show, the actor later issued an apology statement and filmed a PSA for GLAAD. When asked how he thought this would impact his career, Washington said he "can only apologize so many times" and "can only accept so much responsibility."
"I just hope people can understand in the industry and otherwise that it's a horrible misunderstanding what transpired with our show and it was blown out of proportion," he said at one point. "If the naysayers out there feel that some justice has been served and that they're happy with the outcome, so be it. It's incumbent on me to take what I do, do it well, grow from the experience, and move on."
Washington and Heigl's exchange isn't the first celebrity feud. To look back at other stars' disputes, keep scrolling.
This story was originally published on Tuesday, November 17, 2020 at 10:17 a.m. PT.