The CW and Warner Bros. TV announced in a joint statement Monday that Hartley Sawyer was fired from The Flash after old racist and misogynistic tweets surfaced.
"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," the statement reads, per the Hollywood Reporter. "Such remarks are antithetical to our values and polices, which strive and evolve to promote a safe, inclusive and productive environment for our workforce."
Sawyer, who played Ralph Dibny a.k.a. Elongated Man, joined The Flash in Season 4 on a recurring basis, but he was bumped up to series regular the following season. Showrunner and executive producer Eric Wallace, who is black, issued a statement of his own, commenting on how Hartley’s tweets "broke my heart and made me mad as hell," but were are also "indicative of the larger problem in our country."
The Flash star Grant Gustin shared Wallace's statement, admitting he was "shocked, saddened and angry" by Sawyer's tweets while asserting that "words matter."
Screenshots of some of his insensitive and offensive tweets can be viewed below, including some shared by the internet's new exposer-in-chief Skai Jackson:
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Prior to his firing, Hartley issued an apology on Instagram:
