Actor Hartley Sawyer Fired From ‘The Flash’ After Racist, Misogynist Tweets

THR is reporting that Hartley Sawyer has been kicked off the cast of The Flash after his racist and misogynist tweets surfaced.

Per the outlet, the tweest were all before be joined the series, and they make references to sexual assault, racist and homophobic language. Sawyer has since deleted his account, but the screenshots are still making rounds online.

His firing also comes amid nationwide protests against systemic racism in the wake of George Floyd’s May 25 death in Minneapolis.

Speaking about why they let him go, the executive producer Eric Wallace said, “Hartley Sawyer will not be returning for season seven of The Flash. 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.”

Wallace also 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.”

Click here to see the shocking tweets from Sawyer that set the internet on fire.

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.