Actor Hartley Sawyer, who plays Ralph Dibny/The Elongated Man on The CW series “The Flash,” was fired from the show after tweets containing sexual and racist references surfaced over the past week.
Sawyer, 35, has deleted his Twitter account, but screenshots of his old tweets, which make reference to sexual assault and contain racist and homophobic language, have circulated online over the past two weeks, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The tweets were written before Sawyer joined the show in 2017, Variety reported, and were mostly published between 2012 and 2014.
A statement from The CW, Warner Bros. TV and Berlanti Productions noted that Sawyer “would not nbe 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,” the statement read. "Such remarks are antithetical to our values and policies, which strive and evolve to promote a safe, inclusive and productive environment for our workforce.”
Eric Wallace, the show’s executive producer, also issued a statement, tweeting that Sawyer’s posts are “indicative of the larger problem in our country.”
"The Flash” lead actor Grant Gustin reposted Wallace’s statement on Instagram.
“I don’t have much to add because Eric’s thoughts are stated so eloquently and powerfully,” Gustin wrote. "I will say I was shocked, saddened and angry when I saw the tweets. Words matter.”
On May 30, Sawyer posted an apology on Instagram, Entertainment Weekly reported.
“I’m not here to make excuses,” Sawyer wrote. "Regardless of the intention, my words matter and they carry profound consequences.
“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.”