‘The Flash’s Elongated Man Hartley Sawyer Fired After Racist, Misogynist Tweets Surface
“Team Flash” will be down a member as actor Hartley Sawyer is fired from The CW’s superhero drama following a series of historical misogynist and racist tweets surfaced online this week.
All the tweets were from before he joined ‘The Flash’ as Ralph Dibny, aka Elongated Man, and his Twitter account has been deleted, however screenshots of his Twitter account have been circling online for the past few weeks, which led the producers to take action. The CW, Warner Bros. TV and Berlanti Productions released a joint statement saying “Hartley Sawyer will not be returning for season seven 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.”
This was followed by a statement from exec producer/showrunner Eric Wallace saying “This morning, many of you learned that Hartley Sawyer will not be returning for season seven of The Flash. Concerning his social media tweets, they broke my heart and made me mad as hell. And they’re indicative of the larger problem in our country. Because at present, our country still accepts and protects the continual harassment – unconscious or otherwise – terrorising and brutalising of Black and Brown people, which is far too often fatal. That’s why our country is standing up once again and shouting “ENOUGH!” And taking to the streets to bring about active change.” You can read his statement in full below:
My statement regarding Hartley Sawyer and THE FLASH. pic.twitter.com/hni0MxOWZU
— Eric Wallace (@ewrote) June 8, 2020
The Flash himself, Grant Gustin, reposted Eric’s comments adding “I don’t have much to add because Eric’s thoughts are stated so eloquently and powerfully. I will say I was shocked, saddened and angry when I saw the tweets. Words matter.”
Danielle Nicolet, who plays Cecile Horton on the series, released her own comments on her Instagram account saying “It’s a heartbreaking fact of life that today is not the first time I have learned that someone I know, or work with, is not necessarily who they present themselves to be. At least not to MY face… My Black Face… It’s sad and disappointing, but it’s not shocking. This is a significant part of the black experience, and also being a woman. If we learn nothing from the events that have arisen from George Floyd’s brutal murder, it is that this SHOULDN’T be our experience. It CANNOT be. Not Anymore. It is NOT OKAY to allow a culture of racism, misogyny, homophobia and anti-Semitism to thrive in the workplace, at the dinner table or on social media. I hold no ill will toward my former castmate or anyone who is on their journey toward self-betterment. As an African-American woman, I was raised to “forgive them, for they know not what they do”. Forgive is what we must do, because without it the pain is too much to bear, and without it we stifle our growth as compassionate human beings. That said, when you know better, you are required to do better. These past few weeks have been a crash course for this country. I, and every other African-American expect better moving forward. Because we matter. BLACK. LIVES. MATTER.”
Hartley Sawyer himself also took to Instagram to issue an apology, saying “I’m not here to make excuses – regardless of the intention, my words matter and they carry profound consequences. And mine can and have caused pain and embarrassment, along with feelings I can only imagine, to supporters and fans, my cast mates, the crew, my colleagues and friends. I owe them all an apology. And I owe each of you an apology. Thank you for holding me accountable. 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.”
Sawyer first joined ‘The Flash’ in a recurring role as Ralph Dibney in 2017. He was then upped to series regular in 2018. Like many shows this year, the sixth season was cut short due to the global pandemic. Season 7 is due to begin shooting at some point before then end of the year, with a view to The CW beginning what would be it’s normal “Fall Season” in early 2021. The final episode on ‘The Flash’ Season 6 airs this week on Sky One in the UK.
