In October 2021, Isaiah Washington opened up about his time on “Grey’s Anatomy,” and his experiences on set. Speaking during an appearance on KBLA Talk 1580, Washington accused the show’s executives of using him as a cover-up for other issues happening on the set. In the interview, Washington alleged that Patrick Dempsey who plays lead character Derek “McDreamy” Shepherd on the show was not as likable as portrayed to be. “He was not a nice guy from day one. But he liked me and once I had a conversation with him, he said, ‘Isaiah, do you know that white men are the masters of the universe?’ And I said, ‘You really believe that?’ And he said ‘Absolutely,'” Washington recounted, via US Weekly.
Even more so, Dempsey’s alleged bad behavior on set got him into trouble with some of the other cast members including Ellen Pompeo who served as his on-screen love interest. However, according to Washington, Pompeo received $5million dollars in hush money to keep mum about her unpleasant experiences with Dempsey. “I didn’t know that (the homophobic accusation) would stick to me so hard. But I found out why,” he explained. “It was an agenda to cover up for the toxic and bad behavior of many of my former castmates on that show. And the top of that would be Patrick Dempsey.”
