Hartley Sawyer fired from The Flash after offensive tweets resurface.
Hartley Sawyer, who portrays Ralph Dibny / The Elongated Man on the hit show The Flash, will not return next season. Specifically, this action comes after offensive tweets from almost a decade ago resurfaced.
The tweets from 2012, 2013, and 2014 contained racist, misogynistic, and offensive remarks.
The tweets themselves resurfaced a few weeks ago. Actress Skai Jackson reposted them on her account, presenting them to a much larger audience.
Castmates React to Sawyer
Grant Gustin, who plays The Flash, posted the message above on his Instagram. The statement is by the show’s showrunner Eric Wallace commenting on Hartley’s firing. Gustin added that he was “shocked, saddened, and angry”. He also said that “words matter”.
Fellow Flash actress Danielle Nicolet also posted a statement on her Instagram. Nicolet said that it was “heartbreaking” and expressed her feelings as a black woman. In spite of his horrific comments, she also wrote that she holds “no ill will toward (her) former castmate or anyone who is on their journey toward self-betterment.”
Sawyer posted an apology to his Instagram a couple of weeks ago when the tweets originally resurfaced. Yet, since then, he has not since released a statement regarding his firing.
Moreover, his Instagram bio still reads “Ralph Dibny, P.I. on The Flash”.
Hartley Sawyer becomes the second big name to leave the “Arrowverse” recently. Ruby Rose left her role of Batwoman a couple of weeks ago.
Where The Flash goes from here is unknown. The show may recast his character, or write the character off.
Luckily for the show, the character Sawyer portrays has superpowers. One of those powers is the ability to change the appearance of his face. The show could easily recast his character and say that the appearance of his face has changed.
