Hartley Sawyer was fired from The Flash after a series of old tweets – from before he joined the show – resurfaced on the internet.
Over the past two weeks, Hartley, who played Ralph Dibny/the Elongated Man on The Flash, faced backlash from fans after his tweets from 2012 and 2014, which contained references to sexual assault and racist language, circulated online.
Fans called him out for the inappropriate tweets. Hartley has since deleted his Twitter account and posted an apology on Instagram, acknowledging that his words were “hurtful, and unacceptable,” and that he was “ashamed” of the “really horrible attempts to get attention at that time.”
On Monday (June 8), The CW, producers Warner Bros. TV and Berlanti Productions and executive producer Eric Wallace issued a statement that Hartley will no longer be returning in the upcoming season of The Flash.
“Hartley Sawyer will not be returning for season seven of The Flash,” the statement read, via The Hollywood Reporter. “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.”
Eric also tweeted a separate statement, saying, in part, that Hartley’s tweets “broke my heart and made me made as hell,” and that “they’re indicative of the larger problem in our country.”
“I, too, am committed to bringing permanent change to the work environment here on THE FLASH. Yes, this is a family show. But it’s for all families,” Eric says in his letter. “That includes Black and Brown ones. In order to facilitate this, I will continued to find Black and Brown writers, directors, actors and producers of all genders to help tell FLASH stories.”
Grant Gustin, who plays the show’s titular character, reposted Eric’s statement, writing that he was “shocked, saddened and angry when I saw the tweets. Words matter.”
Hartley first joined The Flash in 2017 as a recurring character before being promoted to series regular in 2018.
