Unhappy with his screen-time and looking to pursue something else, Grey’s Anatomy cutie and outspoken gay rights guy T.R. Knight is planning on leaving the Seattle Grace Hospital for good, as is Katherine Heigl, according to co-star James Pickens Jr.
“Following Heigl, 30, out the door?
Her outspoken BFF, Knight, 35. “He’s going too,” Pickens told Us at the NAACP Awards luncheon in Beverly Hills. “He just wanted to pursue other career paths.”
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“He complains to Katherine all the time,” a set source has said of Knight (with Heigl). “The energy on set will be much better when he’s gone.”
Sources close to the actors concur.
“Katherine is ready to move on to the next chapter,” says a set source. And Knight is “not shy about telling people” he wants out of his contract, another insider told Us in December.
But now it seems they’re finally getting their wishes.
A source tells Us Knight has had numerous talks with executive producer Shonda Rhimes, and that the “writers are scrambling to find a believable exit for George, one that would leave the door open for him to come back someday.”
Both Heigl’s and Knight’s reps had no comment, and ABC and ABC Studios could not confirm the departures.”
And the New York Post reports that:
“Ironically, ABC entertainment chief Stephen McPherson told TV critics last month that he expected Knight to return next season (although he didn’t say in what capacity that would be).”
Which is not ironic at all, actually, but definitely a bummer for McPherson, whose line-up is beginning to look a little long in the tooth.
blake
I wonder if Knight is pulling a David Caruso, who famously left “NYPD Blue” because he thought he had a great movie career awaiting him. Caruso’s movie career never materialized and he lost about 10 years in his career before he had a comeback with “CSI: Miami.”
There are few decent roles in network TV. Budgets are being cut and scripted TV shows are being replaced with reality TV and Jay Leno.
For the network, the loss of Heigel and Knight frees up a lot of money from its budget, affording a bigger financial cushion and the ability to hire cheaper labor.
Knight’s character George on “Grey’s” has been fairly absent most of the season. All of the other male cast members on the show are aggressive, sexy leading men. George is a sweet goof who cheated on his wife.
In general, “Grey’s” has some problems but so did “Desperate Housewives.” “DH” turned things around quickly. Why shouldn’t “Grey’s”?
dgz
maybe TRK will join the cast of “private practice.” no?
wouldn’t it be great if he already had a gig lined up for a gay-interest show, though?
GranDiva
Good points, all. Frankly, I think he’s shooting himself in the foot if he doesn’t already have something lined up now.
For as much as Katherine Heigl annoys me (and believe me, she does), she already has one project in the can and three more in the pipeline, which is more than people could say for Caruso back then or Knight now.
As far as his resume to date, he has two Law & Order guest spots, and a guest spot each on C.S.I. and Frasier, plus a couple of indie projects. Hope he likes waiting tables…
Cee
T.R. Knight is a douchebag. He’s not a “cutie” either. Not sure who told you that. To each his own I guess.