‘Flash’ Star Hartley Sawyer Fired for Racist, Homophobic and Misogynistic Tweets

Hartley Sawyer, who has played Ralph Dibney since Season 4, was fired from The CW drama The Flash. Recent screenshots of his Twitter account from 2012 and 2014 (now deleted) revealed his posts were racist, homophobic, and misogynistic and alluded to sexual assault and more.

Sawyer joined the series as Ralph Dibney a.k.a. The Elongated Man in the fourth season of The CW series.

The CW Network's Fall Launch Event - Arrivals — BURBANK, CA – OCTOBER 14: Hartley Sawyer attends The CW Network's Fall Launch Event – Arrivals at Warner Bros. Studios on October 14, 2018 in Burbank, California. (Photo by Presley Ann/Getty Images)

While the actor’s Twitter account has since been deleted, screenshots of the tweets have circulated online recently, revealing the actor made references to sexual assault and joked about racism in a tweet that read “The only thing keeping me from doing mildly racist tweets is the knowledge that Al Sharpton would never stop complaining about me.”

Among the tweets users surfaced in the past two weeks is one from 2012 in which Sawyer wrote “The only thing keeping me from doing mildly racist tweets is the knowledge that Al Sharpton would never stop complaining about me.” In 2014, he wrote, “Enjoyed a secret boob viewing at an audition today.” Several tweets refer to assaulting women, and one reads, “Date rape myself so I don't have to masturbate.”

Hartley Sawyer Victoria's Secret What Is Sexy? Party at Mr. C Beverly Hills — Hartley Sawyer attends the Victoria's Secret What Is Sexy? Party at Mr. C Beverly Hills on May 10, 2012 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Getty Images)

The CW, Warner Bros. TV, Berlanti Productions, and The Flash executive producer Eric Wallace have released a joint statement on the matter:

“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.”

My statement regarding Hartley Sawyer and THE FLASH. pic.twitter.com/hni0MxOWZU
— Eric Wallace (@ewrote) June 8, 2020

The former series regular took to Instagram over the weekend to issue an apology, telling fans of the show:

Hartley Sawyer Comic-Con International 2018 - "The Flash" Press Line — Hartley Sawyer attends the press line for “The Flash” during Comic-Con International 2018 at Hilton Bayfront on July 21, 2018 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Getty Images)

“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.”

View this post on Instagram

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

Bye, bitch!

UPDATE! Grant Gustin has responded the the news!

Grant shared a statement from showrunner Eric Wallace and added his own thoughts.

“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,” Grant wrote.

View this post on Instagram

**A STATEMENT FROM OUR LEADER AND SHOWRUNNER, ERIC WALLACE. — ** @ewrote — 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.

A post shared by Grant Gustin (@grantgust) on Jun 8, 2020 at 11:56am PDT