Why Isaiah Washington Left Grey’s Anatomy

Isaiah Washington’s Grey’s Anatomy tenure was short, but why did the actor say his goodbyes after just three seasons as as Dr. Preston Burke?

ABC’s popular medical drama Grey’s Anatomy has gained a reputation for regularly shaking up its cast. Some actors left the series — which is approaching 20 seasons on the air — to pursue other opportunities. Others, such as Justin Chambers’ Alex Karev, have been written out of the show when those behind the scenes decided it was time to move on from their characters. And then there was Isaiah Washington, who had one of Grey’s Anatomy’s most controversial exits.

When Isaiah Washington left Grey’s Anatomy after just three seasons, it was one of the earliest changes in the show’s history. Fans were stunned to see his character, Dr. Preston Burke, disappear from the series as it continued to grow in popularity. However, his departure was far from simple and involved plenty of behind-the-scenes controversy that made his exit inevitable. Even some die-hard fans of the series may not be aware of what ultimately took place leading up to Isaiah Washington’s departure from Grey’s Anatomy.

Updated by Jordan Iacobucci on January 2, 2024: Grey’s Anatomy is officially returning in March for its landmark twentieth season. The popular medical drama is known for regularly shaking up its cast, with even Meredith Grey parting ways with the series in Season 19. However, one of the most heartbreaking character departures occurred all the way back in Season 3, when Isaiah Washington’s Dr. Preston Burke moved on to a different job. What happened to Dr. Burke, and why did Isaiah Washington leave Grey’s Anatomy in the first place?

Who Was Dr. Preston Burke on Grey’s Anatomy?

• Dr. Preston Burke first appears in the series premiere of Grey’s Anatomy, “A Hard Day’s Night.”
• Dr. Burke makes his last appearance as a series regular in Episode 25 of Grey’s Anatomy Season 3, “Didn’t We Almost Have It All?”
• Isaiah Washington appears in 62 episodes of Grey’s Anatomy.

Dr. Preston Burke was introduced in Grey’s Anatomy’s pilot as the chief cardiothoracic surgeon at Seattle Grace Hospital. Burke began a relationship with fan-favorite intern Cristina Yang (Sandra Oh), but their difference in rank was largely scandalous, so the pair eventually broke it off. When Cristina suffered a miscarriage, she and Burke got back together. Burke was shot in the shoulder in Season 2, Episode 25, “17 Seconds,” which damaged his nerves and caused hand tremors. He was unable to operate on patients, so he required Cristina’s assistance during surgery just in case his tremors became too bad.

Cristina and Burke briefly didn’t speak to each other after Chief of Surgery Richard Webber found out about Burke’s incapacity to operate, but he eventually proposed. He even recovered from his injury after Dr. Derek Shepherd successfully operated on his hand. All seemed well until Burke left Cristina at the altar in the Season 3 finale and quit his job in the process. However, this wasn’t the last time viewers saw Burke; he returned in Season 10 to be part of Cristina’s departure storyline. He invited Cristina to join him at a cardiothoracic research hospital in Switzerland with him, and she accepted his offer.

This plot would be somewhat repeated over a decade later, when Jesse Williams left the show and his character’s absence was explained by his moving to Boston, where he professionally and personally reunited with ex-wife April Kepner (played by Sarah Drew, who had exited the series earlier).

Why Did Isaiah Washington Leave Grey’s Anatomy?

• Dr. Preston Burke returns as a guest star in the Season 10 episode “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together,” marking his last appearance on the series.
• Isaiah Washington was the first main cast member to leave Grey’s Anatomy, leaving after three seasons.
• Dr. Burke is occasionally mentioned by other characters after his departure, though he only ever makes one appearance after Season 3.

Isaiah Washington’s departure from Grey’s Anatomy was incredibly controversial. According to People magazine, He was terminated as a cast member after using a homophobic slur on set. While many fans thought the slur was said to T.R. Knight — who played Dr. George O’Malley — the word was actually uttered during an argument between Washington and Dempsey. Lynette Rice’s 2021 book How to Save a Life: The Inside Story of Grey’s Anatomy shed additional light on the incident, claiming the argument started over tardiness and escalated into a physical fight. It was then that Washington said the slur in reference to Knight.

Despite the dispute, Dempsey and Washington revealed in the tell-all book that the pair had since moved on from the incident. Since the actor returned in Season 10 to help send off Oh, any bad blood between the actor and the cast/crew of Grey’s Anatomy had probably been resolved in the intervening years.

What Has Isaiah Washington Done Since Leaving Grey’s Anatomy?

• According to the International Movie Database (IMDb), Isaiah Washington has 82 acting credits for his work in movies and television.
• Isaiah Washington’s highest-rated project on Rotten Tomatoes is 1998’s Out of Sight, with a 94% Freshness rating. He portrays Kenneth in the film.
• Isaiah Washington’s lowest-rated project on Rotten Tomatoes is 2002’s Ghost Ship, with a 15% Freshness rating. He portrays Greer in the film.

Since leaving Grey’s Anatomy, Isaiah Washington has continued to star in several notable movies and television series. Most notably, Washington had a recurring role in The CW’s post-apocalyptic series The 100, in which he portrayed Thelonius Jaha. The actor stars in the first five seasons of the series before making his final appearance in the episode “Red Queen.” His television career has also expanded into numerous guest appearances on series like Blue Bloods, Bull, and Tales. He even had a recurring role in the Starz drama P-Valley.

Isaiah Washington has also appeared in several films since departing Grey’s Anatomy. He has primarily appeared in low-budget action flicks like The Sin Seer, Dead Trigger, Keys to the City, and Cut-Throat City. While these films haven’t always landed well with critics, they have afforded Washington the opportunity to work alongside several recognizable actors, including Dolph Lundgren, Terrence Howard, Shameik Moore, Ethan Hawke, and more. More recently, Washington played the real-life deputy Bass Reeves in the 2022 Western Corsicana. Since then, the character has become much more well-known thanks to the David Oyelowo-led miniseries Lawmen: Bass Reeves.

Although many fans may have been disappointed by Isaiah Washington’s departure from Grey’s Anatomy, the actor has continued to build his career in the decade since. In both television and film, Washington has expanded his career beyond that of Dr. Preston Burke, though he has also proven willing to return to Grey’s Anatomy when the time is right.