A source for the National Enquirer claims that Washington grew vocally frustrated while waiting to film a scene, asking, "What are we waiting on?" Dempsey answered, "Not me. I'm always ready." Then Washington took out his anger on another co-star. Says the Enquirer insider, "Isaiah said something mean to T.R. Knight. That's when Patrick told Isaiah, 'Pick on somebody your own size.' Well, that did it. Isaiah became enraged and grabbed Patrick by the throat and shoved him back a few feet. Dr. McDreamy almost landed in McDreamland."

The source claims that T.R. told Isaiah to knock it off and then “Isaiah called him a bitch. Isaiah stormed off to his trailer to cool off, while Patrick and T.R. stood there in disbelief. The director and producers got involved, and a meeting was organized with the network execs."

A tattler for the New York Daily News denied the choking incident, but said, "Isaiah said some disgusting things. He was in Patrick's face. I think Isaiah has issues. There's an underlying jealousy. But it's not Patrick's fault. They've put a lot of pressure on him by making him the face of the show. Patrick never asked for it, but he promotes the show whole-heartedly."

When asked about the incident, Washington told People magazine, "We had a difference of opinions while working on set but we've resolved it…[During the fight] we were like two baseball players…nose-to-nose…I've never been that close to [Patrick] before. He has really pretty blue eyes."

The actor claims that the fight did not get physical because “our faces are too beautiful for that!" He also revealed that the argument was about "time and [keeping] the production going. The communication was lost in translation."