Another actor has learned that what you posted on social media in the past can come back to haunt you, even if it was deleted. Hartley Sawyer, best known as Ralph Dibney/ Elongated Man on the CW series, The Flash, was fired from the show on Monday, June 8 after tweets from his account of misogynistic and racist nature came to light.
Sawyer’s tweets were from before he became a cast member of the Flash. While Sawyer deleted his Twitter account, screenshots of the tweets from 2012- 2014 surfaced online two weeks ago.
The CW, Warner Brothers Television, and Berlanti Productions issued a joint statement in regard to the termination of Sawyer:
“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.”
Executive producer and showrunner Eric Wallace also tweeted a statement.
https://twitter.com/ewrote/status/1270054340607143937
Grant Gustin, who plays the title character in The Flash, posted Wallace’s statement to his Instagram, adding his own words to it.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CBL1mQzFVfj/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Sawyer posted an apology on his Instagram account.
What do you think of the decision to fire Hartley Sawyer? Let us know in the comments or on our social media accounts.
Sources: The Hollywood Reporter, Eric Wallace Official Twitter, Grant Gustin Official Instagram Page, Hartley Sawyer Official Instagram Page,