It seems everyone in Hollywood has been talking about the Isaiah Washington f-word scandal this week. And let me tell you, the Television Critics Press Tour in Pasadena has been no exception, with reporters, publicists and actors alike weighing in on the controversy when the cameras and tape recorders weren't rolling. But a few brave souls voiced their opinion on the record.
The first was Neil Patrick Harris, who told me at the CBS party that he found the whole scandal "extremely disappointing," and that he has "nothing but respect for T.R. [Knight], who has held it together like a champ."
And now, I can tell that two other TV stars are going on the record to stick up for Washington. Tichina Arnold and Terry Crews, who play Chris' mom and dad on the CW's Everybody Hates Chris are the first two public figures to come to Isaiah's defense.
During an on-camera interview at the CW party, I asked the Chris stars how they felt about the Grey's scandal and Tichina said: "Mind your business and move on. Be professional, and move on. See, what people don't understand is that by the time a story comes out, it's changed at least 50 times. When you're on set, you're at home with family, with people you work with every day. These people become your family and families have disagreements. If every argument that came out of your house was told in the streets, people would think you guys are nuts, probably, because they'd be privy to your business."
She continued: "And things happen, you know? And [isaiah] has apologized. Let's move on. His personality has nothing to do with his professionalism and how he works and what a good actor he is. I know him personally, and he's a wonderful guy. He and his wife. So, let's move on. Michael Richards apologized and we moved on."
Terry added: "I know Isaiah is a wonderful guy. I know him and his wife very well. You know, it's like she said. If someone was to catch you in a road rage...Everybody's been through it. It is a family. Things get said and you know, tensions get tight. I mean, I love these two [hugs Tichina and Tyler James Williams, who plays Chris], and sometimes [laughing], I wanna kill them! There are times that I'm like, 'I wanna kill this little kid!' But you have to let that go and continue on."
Terry also mentioned that while they get to take out some of their aggressions via their characters, "Grey's Anatomy has a more dramatic theme, and you don't get to let off steam, and that's a big cast."
When I asked if they'd want to invite Isaiah over to the Chris cast, Tichina said,"Yeah, he's an incredible actor." And Terry added: "We want McDreamy, too!"
