Isaiah Washington announced his retirement this week in a bizarre tweet about socialism, communism and “haters.”
The “Grey’s Anatomy” alum played Dr. Preston Burke for three seasons but was famously fired in 2007 after using a homophobic slur against co-star T.R. Knight. Washington, who tweeted it was a “relief” to quit acting, went on to deliver an oddly political screed.
“It is with a heavy heart and a sense of relief that I am announcing my early retirement from the entertainment industry today,” tweeted Washington. “…I have fought the good fight, but it seems that the haters, provocateurs and the Useful Idiots have won.”
He continued: “I’m no longer interested in the back and forth regarding a ‘color construct’ that keeps us human beings divided, nor am I interested in politics or anything vitriolic. I will be traveling this great country before it falls into Socialism and then Communism.”
Similar questionable sentiments have become rallying cries by misinformed right-wingers like Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) and former President Donald Trump, who appeal to their Republican bases with unfounded theories about Democrats such as President Joe Biden and Kamala Harris.
Washington went on to call himself a “Frederick Douglass Conservative.” Douglass, an escaped enslaved Black man whose autobiography became one of the most enduring pieces of abolitionist literature, has since been often co-opted by conservatives as a Republican.
Whether Washington revealed himself as such isn’t entirely clear. When a user replied, “without conservatives like you, the crazies in Hollywood win,” Washington linked to news coverage of his retirement and wrote, “Everything isn’t what it seems…”
The actor, who won an NAACP Image Award in 2007 in the “Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series” category, also announced that “Corsicana,” his 2022 directorial debut about a formerly enslaved man becoming one of the first Black lawmen in the country, now marks his final film.
“It looks like CORSICANA may be the last time you see me as an Actor born here in America,” he tweeted. “Just know that I will be posting a few pictures of my retirement shenanigans here and there, but until then. Be safe out there. Your loved ones love you and need you.”