'The Flash' Actor Fired for Racist, Sexist Tweets

The Flash cast member Hartley Sawyer is no longer working on the series because of tweets he posted over a period of several years. The tweets contained racist, sexist, homophobic, and otherwise offensive comments. Read on for details.

Via The Hollywood Reporter.

Actor Hartley Sawyer has been fired from The Flash after a host of his tweets containing misogynist and racist references were surfaced in the past week.

The tweets, all from before he joined The CW series, make references to sexual assault and contain racist and homophobic language. Sawyer's Twitter account has been deleted, but screenshots of the old posts have circulated online in the past two weeks. His firing also comes amid nationwide protests against systemic racism in the wake of George Floyd's May 25 death in Minneapolis.

"Hartley Sawyer will not be returning for season seven of The Flash," reads a statement from The CW, producers Warner Bros. TV and Berlanti Productions and executive producer Eric Wallace. "In regards to Mr. Sawyer's posts on social media, we do not tolerate derogatory remarks that target any race, ethnicity, national origin, gender, or sexual orientation. Such remarks are antithetical to our values and polices, which strive and evolve to promote a safe, inclusive and productive environment for our workforce."

View this post on Instagram

My words, irrelevant of being meant with an intent of humor, were hurtful, and unacceptable. I am ashamed I was capable of these really horrible attempts to get attention at that time. I regret them deeply. This was not acceptable behavior. These were words I threw out at the time with no thought or recognition of the harm my words could do, and now have done today. I am incredibly sorry, ashamed and disappointed in myself for my ignorance back then. I want to be very clear: this is not reflective of what I think or who I am now. Years ago, thanks to friends and experiences who helped me to open my eyes, I began my journey into becoming a more responsible adult - in terms of what I say, what I do, and beyond. I've largely kept that journey private, and this is another way that I have let so many down. I still have more work to do. But how I define myself now does not take away the impact of my words, or my responsibility for them. I am very sorry.

A post shared by Hartley Sawyer (@hartleysawyer) on May 30, 2020 at 11:59am PDT

Showrunner Wallace tweeted a statement that reads in part, "This morning, many of you learned that Hartley Sawyer will not be returning for season seven of The Flash. Concerning his social media tweets, they broke my heart and made me mad as hell. And they're indicative of the larger problem in our country." (See the full statement below.)

Lead actor Grant Gustin reposted Wallace's statement, writing that he was "shocked, saddened and angry when I saw the tweets. Words matter."

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Thanks for joining my takeover today. I love interacting with all of you. Stay safe, stay home if you can, practice social distancing. And if you’re staying home - make the best of it. Dress up to eat PB&J. Train your dog. And most of all take care of your health - mental and physical! Thank you - you fans make a job I love possible for me to do.

A post shared by Hartley Sawyer (@hartleysawyer) on Apr 28, 2020 at 11:57pm PDT

Among the tweets users surfaced in the past two weeks are one from 2012 in which Sawyer wrote "The only thing keeping me from doing mildly racist tweets is the knowledge that Al Sharpton would never stop complaining about me." In 2014, he wrote, "Enjoyed a secret boob viewing at an audition today." Several tweets refer to assaulting women, and one reads, "Date rape myself so I don't have to masturbate."

Sawyer issued an apology on Instagram, saying in part, "My words, irrelevant of being meant with an intent of humor, were hurtful, and unacceptable. I am ashamed I was capable of these really horrible attempts to get attention at that time. I regret them deeply. This was not acceptable behavior. These were words I threw out at the time with no thought or recognition of the harm my words could do, and now have done today."

Sawyer joined The Flash in 2017 as Ralph Dibny, aka Elongated Man. He recurred on the show initially and was upped to series regular in 2018.

Get the rest of the story at The Hollywood Reporter.

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