Finally! After months of wondering why he left, but still having a pretty good idea why,
T.R. Knight has explained to
Entertainment Weekly about the reason for his departure from
Grey's Anatomy. T.R. tells the magazine that one of the main decisions for his departure was that the show's executive producer and creator,
Shonda Rhimes, began to drastically gut his screen time on the show. In the first nine episodes of season 5, he appeared in only 48 minutes of it. Ouch!
"There just comes a time when it's so clear that moving on is the best decision," T.R. said. He also says that he and Shonda Rhimes had a "breakdown in communication" that also factored in his decision to be let out of his $14 million contract three years early. "My five-year experience proved to me that I could not trust any answer that was given [about his character, George], he said."
T.R. says first started to go bad after
Isaiah Washington referred to him with an anti-gay slur during an argument with
Patrick Dempsey. T.R. was very frustrated because it took Shonda Rhimes three months to publicly condemn Isaiah. T.R. outed himself after the incident, and says that Shonda was upset because she'd wanted him to remain in the closet about it.
T.R. won't be appearing in season 6 of
Grey's Anatomy at all, and he seems quite happy with what he's doing. First he's hitting the L.A. stage in a production of
Parade and then heading to Broadway for a revival of
Lend Me a Tenor. I'm really excited about Parade. It'll finally be a role where he can actually act. I've seen glimpses of the true actor in him on the show, but
Parade and
Tenor will be amazing! He knows that $14 million is a lot to give up, but he's ok with 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" Go T.R.!
T.R. hasn't let go of his
Grey's family just yet. He's till out
shopping with them and
promoting their films. How lovely of him.
Gallery Info: T.R. Knight shopping in Los Angeles with boyfriend,
Mark Cornelsen.
Click any thumbnail to view all 10 photos in the gallery:
