Yet another example of years-old, offensive tweets causing someone to lose their job.
Actor Hartley Sawyer played Ralph Dibny for three seasons on “The Flash,” but because of tweets he published years before joining the cast, he has now been fired.
Actress and author Skai Jackson called attention to Sawyer’s old tweets on June 5. Sawyer made comments about suicide (“The saddest part about someone committing suicide is that they will never listen to David Bowie again”), date rape (“Date rape myself so I don’t have to masturbate”), racism (“The only thing stopping me from doing mildly racist tweets is the knowledge that Al Sharpton would never stop complaining about me”) as well as several tweets referencing women’s breasts, including one in which he said, “As a lad, one of my favorite activities was kidnapping homeless women and cutting off their breasts.”
The tweets caught the attention of the people behind “The Flash,” who released a statement condemning Sawyer and announcing that he had been fired. The CW, Warner Bros. TV and Berlanti Productions, and “The Flash” executive producer Eric Wallace signed the statement.
“Hartley Sawyer will not be returning for season seven of The Flash,” the statement said. “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 policies, which strive and evolve to promote a safe, inclusive and productive environment for our workforce.”
Someone besides Jackson originally highlighted the tweets and told CNN they collected them after Sawyer made a comment about Black Lives Matter, though it is unclear what the comment was about. Protests and riots have broken out across the country following the police-involved death of Minneapolis resident George Floyd. Officer Derek Chauvin, the officer who held his knee on Floyd’s neck for nearly nine minutes, was arrested and charged with murder and manslaughter within five days of Floyd’s death, yet looting and violence continues across the country. Just as the #MeToo movement swept in and tarnished reputations and led to firings over old tweets and alleged sexual misconduct, the current movement against racism has resulted in a similar housecleaning of perceived bad people.
On May 30, Sawyer released a statement apologizing for his old tweets and saying he no longer thinks or acts the way his tweets suggested thanks to friends who helped him “open my eyes.” In today’s climate, however, who one was in the past is considered who one is at the present, and punishment is swift and maximalist.
Sawyer’s apology:
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.
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