Even today, Grey’s Anatomy continues to be Shonda Rhimes’ most successful series all time. Aside from garnering several Emmy nominations, the show also boasts of guest stars that include Faye Dunaway, Geena Davis, and Sarah Paulson. Now on its 18th season, Grey’s Anatomy also features one of largest cast ensembles ever brought together. Over the years, however, it’s also seen a lot of cast member troubles, including a brawl between former regulars Isaiah Washington and Patrick Dempsey.

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In the past, it was claimed that it was Washington’s earlier incident with then-co-star T.R. Knight that essentially led to the altercation with Dempsey. As it turns out, however, there is more to the story.

Ellen Pompeo Thinks This Is Why Tension On The Set Was High

As successful as Grey’s Anatomy is as a show, it was dealing with so much tension and drama behind the scenes. This was especially the case during its earlier seasons. For instance, Katherine Heigl famously withdrew herself out of Emmy contention after feeling that the show didn’t crafty an Emmy-worthy story for her. And then, there was also that time when Knight told Entertainment Weekly that Rhimes herself was “concerned” about the idea him coming out as gay. Over the years, fans were also shocked by the unexpected departures of cast members Jessica Capshaw, Sarah Drew, and Sara Ramirez.

If you ask Pompeo, the reason for all the tension on set may be due to the show’s long working hours. The show also tends to have a long production period since it typically commits to over 20 episodes each season. “Nobody should be working 16 hours a day, 10 months a year — nobody,” Ellen Pompeo, the show’s lead star, pointed out during an interview with Variety. “And it’s just causing people to be exhausted, pissed, sad, depressed. It’s a really, really unhealthy model.” The actress also added, “It’s why people have breakdowns. It’s why actors fight! You want to get rid of a lot of bad behavior? Let people go home and sleep.” In some ways, this may also explain why Washington and Dempsey fought on set.

Here’s What Really Led To The Fight Between Patrick Dempsey And Isaiah Washington

As it turns out, the tension between Washington and Dempsey was brewing for some time and it had something to do with one’s inability to show up to set on time. “I think one of them had been late to set one day and the other one then decided to pay him back by being late himself,” writer Mark Wildling revealed in Lynette Rice’s book, How to Save a Life: The Inside Story of Grey’s Anatomy. “Then it sort of exploded.” Throughout his time on the show, it has been claimed that Dempsey isn’t typically punctual. In fact, one unnamed crew member also told Rice that some of the show’s “rogue actresses” would go up to Shonda to inform her, “Patrick’s late for work.”

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And while Dempsey showing up late to the set may seriously delay production, it doesn’t necessarily lead to serious fight with other co-stars. In this case, however, things got physical. “They got into an arguing match, and then before you know it they were physically fighting,” Wildling recalled. “I was standing there in video village. I'm, like, six feet four inches. I'm bigger than both of them. But I didn't really jump in right away because I'm like, I don't know if I want to get involved.” Harry Wekrsman, who also writes for the show, has said that he was on set when the incident happened, and he believes Washington “felt disrespected that he and the crew had been waiting.” However, what happened next left everyone in shock (and even led to Washington’s firing. “He went after Patrick, pushed him up against the wall,” Werksman recalled. “And said, 'You can't talk to me the way you talk to that little f***** T.R.'”

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Meanwhile, recent reports also emerged that Dempsey allegedly made life difficult for other cast members on the set of the medical drama. According to executive producer James D. Parriott, the actor kept “terrorizing the set,” so much so that several cast members developed “all sorts of PTSD with him.” At the same time, Dempsey and Rhimes herself had been “at each other’s throats” at one point.

In recent months though, it seems there is no more drama between Dempsey and the show. In fact, the actor briefly returned to reprise his role, telling Variety, “I’m so grateful that I did it and happy that the fans really loved it.” Meanwhile, Washington also returned to the show briefly during the show’s tenth season (Dempsey was still on the show at that time but they never shared a scene since Washington’s Dr. Preston Burke is supposedly in Zurich). Today, it remains unclear if the two actors would still be willing to work together, even for just a brief time.

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