Odds are, if you haven’t watched any of the CW Arrowverse superhero series, you may not be aware of Hartley Sawyer’s acting career. But for so many people who enjoy “The Flash” and the various other CW superhero shows, Sawyer has been a regular part of the universe for years now. But next season, that’s all going to change, as old tweets from Sawyer have surfaced that contain misogynistic, racist, and overall offensive jokes.
According to THR, Sawyer will not be back in Season 7 of “The Flash,” as the actor has been fired due to the numerous tweets that have come to light recently. The outlet received a statement explaining the move from The CW, Warner Bros. TV, Berlanti Productions, and executive producer Eric Wallace:
“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.”
The various tweets are mostly from years ago and are clearly not a great look for anyone. The tweets are clearly meant to be jokes but are horrible, nonetheless. In the tweets, he comments about enjoying a “secret boob viewing” at an audition, talked about how women should be in “sex farms,” and how he would “beat the hell out of” his wife if he had one. In addition, he also has numerous racist tweets, as well as jokes about child molestation and beastiality.
It’s clear why “The Flash” and the people involved in the series wouldn’t want him to be part of the cast any longer. That being said, his absence is going to be an interesting thing for CW to navigate. While he’s not the title character, Sawyer’s Ralph Dibny has been a regular part of the superhero show for the past three seasons. They could either write him off of the show or recast, but as we saw with the Ruby Rose departure on “Batwoman,” producers of the Arrowverse shows are averse to recasting if at all possible.
You can see a collection of tweets collected from Twitter users in the thread below, in addition to another statement from Wallace: