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Grey's Anatomy's T.R. Knight, who reluctantly found himself the face of a new generation of TV actors forced to openly acknowledge their sexuality after a meanie co-star with a toilet mouth and nasty temper called them a bad word during a Hollywood workplace fracas, has stated that he was in the dark regarding his fate on the show. Similarly, gayhabbed nemesis Isaiah Washington—recent star of his very own "don't call people epithets, it hurts their feelings" PSA—was also questioning whether his services would again be required at Seattle Grace, especially after the season-ending cliffhanger had him skipping town. Cast members have recently said they were confident everyone would return—something EW.com confirms today through a well-placed source:

According to one insider close to the negotiation, Knight has agreed to a new contract that will boost his per-episode salary to roughly $125,000 and give him a small piece of the show profits (pay hikes and profit points were also granted to many of Knight's co-stars, including Patrick Dempsey, Ellen Pompeo, and Sandra Oh).

Still up in the air: the fate of Washington, whose character, the arrogant Preston Burke, appeared to flee Seattle in the finale. That said, the same insider hints that Washington will be back as a series regular (though without the boost in pay rewarded to his co-stars).

It seems a workable solution is tantalizingly close, with the penitent Washington returning, though denied a pay increase, while Knight returns triumphant, with a generous raise—a wise studio investment, amounting essentially to protection money ensuring that no mobs of pitchfork-wielding GLAAD officials will storm the studio gates with a rainbow-colored battering ram, angrily shouting how their anointed Poster Victim got the shaft.