T. R. Knight signed on for the pilot as O'Malley , expecting that the role might be short-lived , because he liked that the character was multi-faceted . In October 2006 , news reports surfaced that Washington had insulted Knight with a homophobic slur , during an argument with Patrick Dempsey . Shortly after , the details of the argument became public , and Knight later disclosed that the slur made him come out as gay . " I was under no delusions , " Knight said at the time . " My friends on the set knew . We talked about it . Publicly it 's not my thing to call up '' People '' magazine and be like , ' Hey , you want to know something about me ? ' ... I could 've just let it slide and not said anything , but it became important . It became important to make the statement . " The situation seemed somewhat resolved when Washington issued a statement , apologizing for his " unfortunate use of words during the recent incident on-set " . At the 64th Golden Globe Awards , while being interviewed on the red carpet , Washington joked , " I love gay . I wanted to be gay . Please let me be gay . " Later , Washington claimed he never used the slur , labeling it " vile " . In June 2007 , it was reported that the American Broadcasting Company ( ABC ) and Shonda Rhimes had chosen not to renew Washington 's contract with the show , not immediately specifying a reason . In a subsequent interview , Washington claimed that " they fired the wrong guy " ( referring to Knight ) , and said he was considering filing a lawsuit as a result . He accused Knight of using the controversy to bolster his own career and increase his salary on '' Grey 's Anatomy ''
64th Golden Globe Awards
64th Golden Globe Awards
George O'Malley