‘The Flash’ Actor Hartley Sawyer Fired After Old ‘Date Rape’ Tweets Resurface

Actor Hartley Sawyer has been fired from CW’s The Flash after a series of off-color tweets from six years ago were rediscovered.

Sawyer, who originated the character of Ralph Dibney, aka the Elongated Man, in 2017, was fired for the many misogynistic and homophobic tweets he posted as jokes years ago, according to the Hollywood Reporter. The tweets that got him unceremoniously fired were from several years before he joined the TV series. Sawyer’s Twitter account has since been deleted. But producers were enraged by Sawyer’s posts, nonetheless.

“Hartley Sawyer will not be returning for season seven of The Flash,” producers said a statement released to 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 policies, which strive and evolve to promote a safe, inclusive, and productive environment for our workforce.”

Executive producer Eric Wallace added a statement of his own concerning the firing:

The actor released a full-throated apology to the fans and his castmates, apologizing for his past tweets.

“My words, irrelevant of being meant with an intent of humor, were hurtful, and unacceptable,” Sawyer said on Instagram. “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.”

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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 post shared by Hartley Sawyer (@hartleysawyer) on May 30, 2020 at 11:59am PDT

The tweets were filled with violence and included ridicule of homeless people, and gays, as well as comments about raping and mutilating women.

Many more of the tweets were archived by Twitter user Steph and can be seen here.

CW’s The Flash is set to begin filming its seventh season next year after the film industry’s coronavirus lockdowns are over.

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