No tolerance. The CW fired The Flash actor Hartley Sawyer on Monday, June 8, days after racist and homophobic tweets by the actor resurfaced.
“Hartley Sawyer is not going to be returning for season seven of The Flash,” The CW, Warner Bros. TV and Berlanti Productions advised The Hollywood Reporter in an announcement on Monday. “With regard to Mr. Sawyer’s posts on social media, we don’t tolerate derogatory remarks that focus on any race, ethnicity, nationwide origin, gender, or sexual orientation. Such remarks are antithetical to our values and polices, which attempt and evolve to advertise a protected, inclusive and productive setting for our workforce.”
Showrunner Eric Wallace additionally tweeted a prolonged assertion, noting that the tweets despatched by Sawyer, 35, “broke my coronary heart and made me mad as hell.”
The producer added: “I, too, am dedicated to bringing everlasting change to the work setting right here on The Flash. … I’ll proceed to search out Black and Brown writers, administrators, actors and producers of all genders to assist inform Flash tales. Their tales are a part of the American narrative, too, and should be heard. And the extra you hear and see us, the extra you’ll start to acknowledge one easy truth: We’re human beings, too.”
The previous Younger and the Stressed star joined The Flash as a recurring character in season 4, then was promoted to sequence common in seasons 5 and 6.
His Twitter account has since been deactivated, however the tweets included a number of offensive messages. “All ladies must be in intercourse farms,” he wrote in 2011. In June 2012, he tweeted, “The one factor stopping me from doing mildly racist tweets is the information that Al Sharpton would by no means cease complaining about me.”
In 2014, he added, “Out at dinner and simply uncovered myself as a racist, AGAIN,” and later, “Jingle bells, batman smells, ladies shouldn’t vote.” He additionally used a number of homophobic slurs.
The New York native apologized by way of a prolonged Instagram submit on Could 30.
“I’m not right here to make excuses — whatever the intention, my phrases matter they usually carry profound penalties. And mine can and have prompted ache and embarrassment, together with emotions I can solely think about, to supporters and followers, my solid mates, the crew, my colleagues and associates. I owe all of them an apology. And I owe every of you an apology. Thanks for holding me accountable,” he wrote. “My phrases, irrelevant of being meant with an intent of humor, had been hurtful, and unacceptable. I’m ashamed I used to be able to these actually horrible makes an attempt to get consideration at the moment. I remorse them deeply. This was not acceptable habits. These had been phrases I threw out on the time with no thought or recognition of the hurt my phrases might do, and now have completed at present.”
He added that he’s ” extremely sorry, ashamed and disillusioned” in his ignorance.
“I wish to be very clear: this isn’t reflective of what I feel or who I’m now. Years in the past, due to associates and experiences who helped me to open my eyes, I started my journey into turning into a extra accountable grownup – when it comes to what I say, what I do, and past. I’ve largely stored that journey personal, and that is one other manner that I’ve let so many down. I nonetheless have extra work to do,” Sawyer wrote. “However how I outline myself now doesn’t take away the influence of my phrases, or my accountability for them. I’m very sorry.”
The actor’s firing comes amid nationwide protests following the homicide of George Floyd, who died after Minnesota police officer Derek Chauvin held a knee to his neck for almost 9 minutes on Could 25.
For extra info, go to Blacklivesmatter.com.
