Actor Isaiah Washington is no stranger to controversy, and now the former Grey’s Anatomy star who was fired after being accused of using a homophobic slur, announced publicly that he has dumped the Democratic party.
According to Newsweek, during a segment on Fox Nation’s Nuff Said the 56-year-old said he believed many in Hollywood are afraid to “come out” as conservatives and then explained his personal reasons for leaving the Democrats.
“You got a lot of conservative or centric libertarian-minded people that really care about other people but they are terrified to come out of the closet and say anything that’s not in line with the Democratic party,” Washington told host Tyrus.
Washington is now an advocate for the #WalkAway movement, a digital campaign that encourages people to leave the Democratic party and consider becoming Republican instead.
I sat down with @IWashington on #Nuffsaid on @foxnation pic.twitter.com/Oqtoj2f2O2
— Tyrus (@PlanetTyrus) September 4, 2019
The entertainer slammed Democrats for “not doing enough” for the Black community, and in April cited Trump’s support for the First Step Act, a bill that would reduce a prisoner’s sentence for good behavior and assist them in returning to society upon their release, as one of his reasons for becoming a Republican.
“I’m going to support the policy over the person,” Washington told Nuff Said.
But it bears noting that First Step Act was largely championed and brought to the president’s attention by Van Jones and Kim Kardashian West, two prison reform advocates who are not conservatives themselves.
“I voted for 44 twice. I even checked my emails in his Senate Office while lobbying for Salone to be given another chance to rebrand. Not once in 8 years was I given any support regarding Africa or the Black Agenda, but 45 invites me to the WH to celebrate the #FirstStepAct,” Washington tweeted back in April.
Apparently that invite was the final straw for him. But some have pointed out that Washington was in the midst of the very public and very ugly scandal on Grey’s Anatomy, around the time Obama was elected, which may have played into the former president not corresponding with him.
Washington was fired from the show in 2007, following a high-profile dispute with T.R. Knight, a gay cast-member. Washington allegedly used a gay slur during an on-set altercation. Although he apologized publicly for his actions, his career suffered from the backlash.
