
With almost no tolerance for racist, misogynist comments in the wake of protests in the US and worldwide over the death of George Floyd, CW’s ‘The Flash’ actor has been fired.
Actor Hartley Sawyer was fired from his show over a collection of racist and misogynistic tweets he posted prior to joining the show.
The news was confirmed by CW and the show’s producers Warner Bros. Television and Berlanti Productions.
They gave a statement to Variety: “Hartley Sawyer will not be returning for Season 7 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.”
The tweets in question date mainly from 2012 and 2014, including this one: “The only thing keeping me from doing mildly racist tweets is the knowledge that Al Sharpton would never stop complaining about me.”
In another tweet from 2012, Sawyer wrote that “as a lad, one of my favorite activities was kidnapping homeless women and cutting off their breasts.”
Hartley issued an apology via his Instagram last week, saying that he is “incredibly sorry, ashamed and disappointed in myself for my ignorance back then.”
The show’s executive producer Eric Wallace issued his own statement on Sawyer’s firing, saying that his posts are “indicative of the larger problem in our country.”