Will Isaiah Washington be fired from "Grey's Anatomy"?

Isaiah Washington has started his spin campaign. Last week, the actor, who started a controversy last October when he called his gay "Grey's Anatomy" co-star, T.R. Knight a "faggot," fired his publicist Cynthia Snyder. In her place, he hired 42 West's Allan Mayer and Kelly Mullens. Mayer and Mullens are known for crisis control and their past clients have included Tommy Lee, R Kelly and Paula Poundstone.

Now Washington has met with a few gay rights leaders, including Neil G. Giuliano, president of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, in order to make amends for his repeated use of the gay slur. Giuliano said in a statement, "Isaiah understands that he is going to be judged by more than just his apology. He knows that his future actions, including the genuine first step that today's meeting represents, will demonstrate his sincerity in becoming part of the solution to anti-gay bigotry."

Isaiah is being closely watched and his next steps will determine his place on "Grey's." By late Tuesday afternoon, over 19,000 people had signed an Internet petition asking that ABC fire Washington over his behavior. A source for E! Online's Kristin Veitch claims that, should Washington be fired, he may not even get a goodbye on the show. The insider says, ABC bosses "are considering…firing Isaiah Washington from 'Grey's Anatomy,' effective immediately, without having him appear in any kind of farewell episode. If the network does follow through with this option, the producers are likely to run a full-screen announcement at the beginning of the first Burke-less episode that announces Isaiah Washington is no longer part of the show."

In the meantime, the leaders who met with Washington seem optimistic about his future. The founder of the Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network, Kevin Jennings said that his organization is "hopeful that Isaiah Washington has come to a deeper understanding of the power of words. As a parent himself, Isaiah Washington seemed to particularly appreciate the impact these words have on young people."

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