Why Was Hartley Sawyer, Elongated Man, Fired From ‘The Flash’?
While The Flash is set to return to The CW for another season, actor Hartley Sawyer will not be joining his cast mates. For the past three seasons, Hartley has played the role of Ralph Dibny (the Elongated man). News broke earlier today, however, that Hartley Sawyer has been fired.
The Hollywood Reporter was first to report on his termination.
Why did Hartley Sawyer get fired from The Flash?
Hartley Sawyer has been fired from The Flash after a series of an offensive tweets from his past resurfaced. Hartley Sawyer certainly wouldn’t be the first celebrity to suffer this fate. For example, everyone remembers when Roseanne Barr was fired after just one season of the Roseanne reboot. Fortunately for fans of the sitcom, her character was killed off, the show was renamed, and the series continued without her.
Sawyer’s situation, however, is a little different. He was fired for tweets he said in the past. Now, this technically isn’t the first time this has happened. Comedian and actor Kevin Hart was supposed to be the host of the 2019 Academy Awards. He, however, had to back out of the position after offensive tweets from his past surfaced.
Now, there are certainly some fans taking issue with this news. After all, why should he be fired from a current job for something in his past? Well, most suspect it likely has something to do with the fact that it was not just one offensive tweet. Hartley Sawyer posted a series of offensive tweets over a number of years on Twitter.
What were some of the tweets that got him fired?
The series of tweets, which all happened before he joined The Flash cast, contained racist and homophobic language. Some of the tweets even discussed assaulting women. While Hartley Sawyer’s Twitter account has been deleted… It wasn’t before people took screenshots of the tweets. Screenshots that have been circulating the internet for a few weeks now. And, just what did some of these offensive tweets that got Hartley Sawyer fired?
One of the tweets from 2012 read: “The only thing keeping me from doing mildly racist tweets is the knowledge that Al Sharpton would never stop complaining about me.”
A tweet from 2014 discussed how he enjoyed watching a show of a woman’s chest – presumably without her knowledge – during an audition.
He also discussed “date rape” as an alternative for self-pleasure.
The CW network and executive producer Eric Wallace issue a statement.
The network as a whole issued the following statement about his termination…
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 Eric Wallace also issued a very long statement on social media.
“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.” (You can read the full statement at the end of this article.)
The actor issued a very lengthy apology on Instagram. Unlike Twitter, his Instagram remains active. He, however, has turned the comments off on his most recent posts.
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.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/CA0qvHunr8J/
How does Grant Guss feel about losing his co-star?
Grant Guss plays the role of Barry Allen / The Flash. Just an hour ago, he took to Instagram to share a copy of Eric Wallace’s statement. He explained that he really didn’t have much to add as it was such a beautiful statement.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CBL1mQzFVfj/?utm_source=ig_embed
He, however, was “saddened and angry” by his co-star’s words.
A lot of the comments agree with the statements, but do not seem to be passing judgment on the actor. The individuals noted that what he said was really wrong. But, they were words he said years ago. Moreover, they believe the actor has changed a lot since he said those things.
“I agree that words matter. but we also know and saw how much Hartley has changed over the years. in a better way. yes, his words were ridiculous. but we are human and sometimes we make BIG mistakes. but Hartley changed for the better, didn’t he? I do agree that those tweets were very hurtful and disgusting… but like i said, it was in the pst, literally YEARS ago. he changed. people CAN change,” one individual penned.
When did Hartley Sawyer first join The Flash?
Hartley Sawyer joined The Flash cast back in 2017. He was a recurring role. In 2018, he became a regular. Naturally, fans wonder what the future will hold for his character. How will they write him out?
Given the nature of Ralph Dibny aka Elongated Man… The character could technically continue with a different actor. Ralph is a metahuman. Some refer to him as “rubber man.” So, it wouldn’t be to hard to believe he suddenly had different face and body.
Moreover, the writers could just write him out of the story. Or, the network could choose to kill off the character completely.
So, how do you feel about why Hartley Sawyer was fired from The Flash? Tell us about it in the comments.
https://twitter.com/ewrote/status/1270054340607143937
- NBC Cancels Two Reality Shows In Programming Shakeup - March 18, 2024
- ‘NCIS’ A Closer Look At Mark Harmon’s Feud With Former Co-Star - March 18, 2024
- ‘TAR’ Rod Gardner’s Net Worth: Does He Need The Money? - March 14, 2024