Actor Hartley Sawyer portrayed the character of Ralph Dibny on The Flash (Photo: Instagram/hartleysawyer).
Actor Hartley Sawyer, popular for portraying Ralph Dibny in the hit CW series The Flash, has been fired from the show. The actor was thrown out from The Flash after a series of problematic tweets surfaced on the internet. Most of these tweets allegedly reek of misogynism and racism, and were made by the actor before joining The Flash.
While the actor’s Twitter account has been deleted, the screenshots of his previous tweets have gone viral.
A statement from The CW, producers Warner Bros. TV and Berlanti Productions and executive producer Eric Wallace read, “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 policies, which strive and evolve to promote a safe, inclusive and productive environment for our workforce.”
Showrunner E Wallace also shared a post in which he stated that the tweets broke his heart and made him mad as hell. Wallace went on to add that the issue is “indicative of the larger problem in our country.”
The Flash actor Justin Grant shared Wallace’s full statement on his Instagram account and captioned it, “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.”
Hartley Sawyer, meanwhile, has penned an apology post on Instagram which read, “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,” the actor added.
Hartley Sawyer’s firing comes at a time when the US is experiencing nation-wide protests against systemic racism, following the death of George Floyd.