T.R. Knight Not to Leave Grey's Anatomy

The cliff-hanger season finale of ABC's hit medical drama, Grey's Anatomy, left more than one character hanging in limbo, but there's hope for resident cutie George O'Malley as rumors have now been hushed to his supposed departure.

On the season finale, we found out that George had indeed failed his residency exam and had the choices of leaving the program or repeating his internship over again. Unfortunately, George opted to leave the program and the last time we see George in the episode, he is in the locker room packing up his locker contents.

Many fans have been worried that T.R. Knight is indeed leaving the show, but according to Entertainment Weekly (the new issue with Brad Pitt and George Clooney on the cover), T.R. Knight has just renegotiated his contract with ABC Networks which entails him roughly $125,00 per episode next season for his salary.

For now, George O'Malley's future with Seattle Grace seems secure, but does that mean the same for his mentor and resident surgeon Dr. Preston Burke, whom seemed to have fled Seattle after leaving Christina at the altar?

As many of you may remember, T.R. Knight was rumored to almost have left the show earlier this year due to problems with fellow cast member Isaiah Washington (the actor who portrays Dr. Preston Burke). Isaiah was reported to have used a very derogatory word to describe T.R. Knight, whom is openly gay, between scenes. He repeated this word live on television at an awards ceremony, leaving most of his cast members furious, especially T.R. Knight's close friend Katherine Heigl (which she shared her opinions about in the latest issue of Allure magazine).

Whether Isaiah Washington was a part of the contract negotiations is still left for us to speculate. "A cliff-hanger is meant to keep the audience in anticipation," stated an ABC Television Studio spokeswoman (also reported by Entertainment Weekly). It looks as though whether Isaiah Washington is staying or whether he is booted is being held as top secret by ABC Studios Officials.

Another cast member now gone is Kate Walsh, who as I reported, now has her own Grey's spin-off set in LA entitled, Private Practice.

Sources:
Lynette Rice, "By George, He's Back!" Entertainment Weekly, #939, June 15, 2007