THE FLASH: Hartley Sawyer Fired Due to Racist and Misogynistic Tweets

Hartley Sawyer has been fired from THE FLASH after racist, misogynistic, and offensive past tweets were unearthed. 

“Hartley Sawyer will not be returning for season 7 of THE FLASH,” Warner Bros. Television, The CW, Berlanti Productions, and executive producer Eric Wallace said in a joint statement. “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.”

After the tweets were brought back into the public conversation, Sawyer deleted his Twitter account and issued an apology on Instagram last month.

“My words, irrelevant of being meant with an intent of humor, were hurtful, and unacceptable,” he wrote. “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,” he continued. “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.”

Sawyer, who played Ralph Dibny/Elongated Man on The CW series since 2017, first recurred on the show before becoming a regular in 2018. There is no word yet on whether the character—who was closely tied to this season’s introduction of Sue Dearbon (Natalie Dreyfuss)—will be recast or simply leave the series when the show eventually returns for its seventh season.

THR was first to report Sawyer’s firing.

UPDATE: Wallace released his own individual statement, decrying Sawyer’s past actions.

My statement regarding Hartley Sawyer and THE FLASH. pic.twitter.com/hni0MxOWZU

— Eric Wallace (@ewrote) June 8, 2020

UPDATE 2: THE FLASH stars Grant Gustin and Danielle Nicolet commented on Sawyer’s exit on Instagram:

View this post on Instagram

A statement from our leader and showrunner, Eric Wallace. — @ewrote — I don’t have much to add because Eric’s thoughts are stated so eloquently and powerfully. I will say I was shocked, saddened and angry when I saw the tweets. Words matter.

A post shared by Grant Gustin (@grantgust) on Jun 8, 2020 at 11:56am PDT

View this post on Instagram

It’s a heartbreaking fact of life that today is not the first time I have learned that someone I know, or work with, is not necessarily who they present themselves to be. At least not to MY face… My Black Face… It’s sad and disappointing, but it’s not shocking. This is a significant part of the black experience, and also being a woman. If we learn nothing from the events that have arisen from George Floyd’s brutal murder, it is that this SHOULDN’T be our experience. It CANNOT be. Not Anymore. It is NOT OKAY to allow a culture of racism, misogyny, homophobia and anti-Semitism to thrive in the workplace, at the dinner table or on social media. I hold no ill will toward my former castmate, or anyone who is on their journey toward self-betterment. As an African-American woman, I was raised to “forgive them, for they know not what they do”. Forgive is what we must do, because without it the pain is too much to bear, and without it we stifle our growth as compassionate human beings. That said, when you know better, you are required to do better. These past few weeks have been a crash course for this country. I, and every other African-American expect better moving forward. Because we matter. BLACK. LIVES. MATTER. ✊🏽 ———. Please take a look at the statement from our fearless leader @ewrote – who’s said what needs to be said better than I ever could.

A post shared by Danielle Nicolet (@daninicolet) on Jun 8, 2020 at 12:57pm PDT

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