Elongated Man has been fired from the CW's The Flash

‘The Flash’ Star Hartley Sawyer Fired Over Racist, Misogynistic Tweets

Hartley Sawyer has been fired from CW’s “The Flash” over a collection of racist and misogynistic tweets he posted prior to joining the show.

The news was confirmed by CW and the show’s producers Warner Bros. Television and Berlanti Productions, who provided Variety the following statement.

“Hartley Sawyer will not be returning for Season 7 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.”

The tweets in question date mainly from 2012 and 2014, including this one: “The only thing keeping me from doing mildly racist tweets is the knowledge that Al Sharpton would never stop complaining about me.”

tony ingram wrote:Seems like a bit of an overrreaction to some comments he made years ago. A shame, he was about the best character in the show.

MajorHoy wrote:

tony ingram wrote:Seems like a bit of an overrreaction to some comments he made years ago. A shame, he was about the best character in the show.

Timing is everything.

If this had been brought to light before the past month-or-so, maybe it would have been handled differently. But in our current situation with the George Floyd / "Black Lives Matter" controversies, and all the protests that are still continuing (even beyond just the U.S.) because of centuries of discrimination and such, it's a bit harder to let even past indiscretions like his thoughtless posts go by with just an apology and a slap on the wrist.

tony ingram wrote: I'd be interested to know how these ancient tweets suddenly came to light...