'The Flash' Actor Hartley Sawyer Fired over Racist and Misogynistic Tweets

Hartley Sawyer — an actor who played the role of Elongated Man on The CW TV series The Flash — has been fired after a series of racist and misogynistic tweets were uncovered from his Twitter page.

The actor has since deleted his account, but a number of tweets were screenshotted and passed around online the last few weeks. TMZ has posted several over here. The graphic tweets — all made before he appeared on The Flash — included references to spying on women's breasts during auditions, admissions of racism and even "jokes" about domestic violence.

"The only thing stopping me from doing mildly racist tweets is the knowledge that Al Sharpton would never stop complaining about me," Sawyer wrote in 2012.

The CW said that the network parted ways with Sawyer, stating: "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."

The Flash showrunner Eric Wallace also offered a statement:
 

Sawyer has since apologized for his actions in an Instagram post, available below.
 

 

 

 

 

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