‘The Flash’ Star Hartley Sawyer Fired After Racist Tweets Resurface
The CW has fired The Flash's Hartley Sawyer after past racist, misogynist and homophobic tweets resurfaced online.
The actor, who played Ralph Dibny/Elongated Man, joined the show as a recurring character in Season 4 before being promoted to series regular in Seasons 5 and 6. However, it's been confirmed he will not be returning for Season 7.
"Hartley Sawyer will not be returning for season seven of The Flash," The CW, Warner Bros. TV and Berlanti Productions told The Hollywood Reporter 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."
They continued, "Such remarks are antithetical to our values and polices, which strive and evolve to promote a safe, inclusive and productive environment for our workforce."
Though Sawyer's Twitter account was deactivated, his old tweets have been circulating the internet since May. Then, last week Skai Jackson called him out while exposing other racist behavior amid the Black Lives Matter protests.
Some of the offensive messages include, "All women should be in sex farms," "Jingle bells, batman smells, women shouldn’t vote" and "If I had a wife I would beat the hell out of her tonight lol."
In another, he wrote, "Super Bowl! America! 80% of the prison population is African-American."
Sawyer issued a lengthy apology via Instagram May 30, however, the damage was done and there was likely nothing he could have said to save his job on The Flash.
"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," he wrote at the time. "I am incredibly sorry, ashamed and disappointed in myself for my ignorance back then."