Actor Isaiah Washington appeared on CNN last night and raised eyebrows with comments about Chris Rock, racial profiling and being at "war" with police.
After Rock posted selfies of himself getting pulled over by police three separate times in the last seven weeks, the former Grey's Anatomy star weighed in.
Washington Tweeted, "I sold my $90,000.00 Mercedes G500 and bought 3 Prius's, because I got tired of being pulled over by Police. #Adapt @chrisrock"
#Adapt to what, exactly? The Internet quickly had a field day with questions, criticisms and retorts, making Washington an even bigger story than Rock.
Isaiah wrote later, "Anyway, you millennials critique and misconstrue my message to @chrisrock I'm getting back to my work to help free all y'all. #Truthdom"
The 51-year-old, who was famously fired for making homophobic slurs about (and inadvertently outing) co-star T.R. Knight, took to CNN in response.
Washington told host Don Lemon:
"I know a lot of people took issue to that hashtag #Adapt, thinking I was implying racial profiling and white supremacy would stop if he were in a different car."
"I will say this," Washington added. "Since I got out of my G500 and been driving a Prius for the last four years ... I have not been pulled over one time."
Lemon asked him to explain what he was saying Rock should #Adapt to, at which point he criticized the term "driving while black" and spoke of an unspecified "war."
"There's something happening in his community or wherever he is on that road or coming in and out of whatever that terrain, they're looking for something," he said.
"They're policing something. And the timing, either good or bad, I think the timing for us to have this conversation it's a good timing and bad timing for all of us."
"Because they're looking for something. Obviously, they're not looking for Chris Rock. Obviously he hasn't broken any laws. And what you drive shouldn't matter."
"But if you are at war, which we all know that we are, there is a sentiment in the air that is highly toxic, highly negative," Isaiah continued.
"And what I was doing by that tweet," he went on, in a roundabout way, "was doing exactly what I wanted it to do, is excite a conversation."
"If we're looking at this term 'black' and looking at this term 'driving while black' maybe we really need to look at the term 'black' itself and start having a different kind of holistic conversation."
The actor went on to suggest that going forward, Rock should meet with local police officials to take a stand against his recent run-ins with authorities.
What do you think of Washington's comments? Is he even making any sense? Or should Rock do as he says and get more serious about this issue?
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