'Grey's Anatomy''s Jesse Williams' Speech Creates Tiny Uproar
by EG
After a speech he gave at the BET Awards last week, Jesse Williams of Grey's Anatomy finds himself in the middle of a minor controversy. One viewer, outraged by the speech, in which Williams called for "equal rights and justice" in the treatment of African Americans by police, initiated a Change.org petition demanding that Williams be fired from Grey's Anatomy for what the petition's author called "racist" and "inappropriate" remarks.
As of midday Wednesday, the anti-Williams petition had gained just short of 20,000 signatures, but it was the attention the petition got in the media that drew comments from Grey's producer Shonda Rhimes, who tweeted in support of Williams.
Um, people? Boo don't need a petition. #shondalandrules
— shonda rhimes (@shondarhimes) July 5, 2016
The petition author changed her goal after the initial posting, eventually calling for a total boycott of ABC and all its related businesses. She also went on to compare Williams' speech to the 2007 homophobic remarks that got Isaiah Washington fired from the show. Washington, for his part, also posted his support of Williams' speech on social media.
Several counter petitions in support of Williams have popped up on Change.org, and, again as of noon Wednesday, the most-signed of those pro-Williams petitions had been signed over 25,000 times - or about 25% more than the anti-Williams rant.