‘The Flash’: Hartley Sawyer Fired After Racist, Misogynistic Tweets Resurface

Hartley Sawyer, who has performed Ralph Dibny, aka Elongated Man, on the CW collection The Flash for the previous three seasons, has been fired after outdated social media posts with racist and misogynistic references not too long ago resurfaced, Deadline has confirmed.

“Hartley Sawyer is not going to be returning for Season 7 of The Flash,” based on a joint assertion supplied to The News Observers from Warner Bros. TV, The CW, Berlanti Productions and govt producer Eric Wallace. “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 insurance policies, which try and evolve to advertise a protected, inclusive and productive atmosphere for our workforce.”

The Flash — “So Long and Goodnight” — Image Number: FLA616a_0243b.jpg — Pictured: Hartley Sawyer as Dibny — Photo: Sergei Bachlakov/The CW — © 2020 The CW Network, LLC. All rights reserved

Sawyer’s Twitter account has been deleted, however display pictures of the outdated posts have been circulating on-line. In a single tweet, Sawyer wrote, “The one factor conserving me from doing mildly racist tweets is the information that Al Sharpton would by no means cease complaining about me.” All had been posted earlier than Sawyer joined The Flash. Sawyer’s firing additionally comes amid ongoing protests towards systemic racism following the demise of unarmed black man George Floyd by the hands of Minneapolis police.

Sawyer posted an apology on Instagram with a caption that reads partly, “I’m not right here to make excuses – whatever the intention my phrases matter, and so they carry profound penalties. And mine can and have triggered ache and embarrassment, together with emotions I can solely think about, to supporters and followers, my forged mates, the crew, my colleagues and pals. I owe all of them an apology. And I owe every of you an apology. Thanks for holding me accountable.”

Sawyer joined The Flash as a recurring in Season 5 and was later upped to collection common.

His firing was first reported by The Hollywood Reporter.

 

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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. I am incredibly sorry, ashamed and disappointed in myself for my ignorance back then. I want to be very clear: this is not reflective of what I think or who I am now. Years ago, thanks to friends and experiences who helped me to open my eyes, I began my journey into becoming a more responsible adult – in terms of what I say, what I do, and beyond. I’ve largely kept that journey private, and this is another way that I have let so many down. I still have more work to do. But how I define myself now does not take away the impact of my words, or my responsibility for them. I am very sorry.

A put up shared by Hartley Sawyer (@hartleysawyer) on Could 30, 2020 at 11:59am PDT