Isaiah Washington is returning to Grey’s Anatomy. The actor was famously fired from the show in 2007, after a series of on-set homophobic altercations with then-fellow actor T.R. Knight. Washington’s Dr. Preston Burke will return to the show for a single episode in May, in which Grey’s creator Shonda Rhimes will set the stage for Sandra Oh’s departure from the series. Rhimes tells The Hollywood Reporter, “It’s important to me that Cristina’s journey unfolds exactly as it should”—regardless of what Washington may or may not have said on set and in the press room after the 2006 Golden Globes. Rhimes says Washington’s guest appearance will give Yang’s “story that full-circle moment we need to properly say goodbye.”
Washington’s on-set remarks landed him in Hollywood’s doghouse for years. Though he’s since made a PSA for GLAAD and come out in support of gay marriage in the years since the controversy, he’s been unable to find a place as a regular on another show until last year, when he landed a spot on The CW’s The 100.