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The Flash star Grant Gustin has weighed in on the firing of his co-star, Hartley Sawyer. Sawyer joined the hit CW superhero show in season 4 as ex-cop turned private investigator Ralph Dibny. He has since earned a spot as a series regular, starring opposite Gustin’s Flash/Barry Allen in seasons 5 and 6. But over the past few weeks, some of Sawyer’s offensive tweets from 2012-2014 resurfaced and sparked controversy online. Now, Sawyer’s offensive social media presence has jeopardized his role on the series and prompted showrunner Eric Wallace and The CW to fire him before The Flash‘s forthcoming season 7.
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The content of Sawyer’s prior tweets ranged from racist to misogynistic. In one, he stated: “the only thing stopping me from doing mildly racist tweets is the knowledge that Al Sharpton would never stop complaining about me.” In another, he declared: “If I had a wife I would beat the hell out of her tonight lol.” After releasing a joint statement with Warner Bros. TV, The CW, and Berlanti Productions earlier today, Wallace issued his own response to Sawyer’s firing via Twitter. In it, he admitted that Sawyer’s tweets “broke [his] heart” and made him “mad as hell,” noting that the language is “indicative of the larger problem in our country.”
Gustin, the series’ star, fully backed the decision to fire Sawyer. He showed support by reposting Wallace’s statement on Instagram. In the caption, he wrote: “I don’t have much to add because Eric’s thoughts are stated so eloquently and powerfully. I will say I was shocked, saddened and angry when I saw the tweets. Words matter.“
Sawyer has yet to respond publicly to his termination — one that is most certainly not the first of its kind. In 2018, ABC decided to cancel and rebrand Roseanne altogether as The Conners after the lead actress, Roseanne Barr, tweeted out racist comments. A mere two years ago, ABC’s move was considered shocking and unprecedented. However, in today’s climate — and especially in light of the Black Lives Matter protests currently raging across the country — the network’s swift decision to fire Sawyer comes as no surprise. In fact, the news of Sawyer’s firing arrived less than a week after Dick Wolf’s decision to fire a Law & Order SVU spinoff writer who posted racist remarks on his Facebook profile.
Clearly, Sawyer’s termination is just one of many recent instances showing Hollywood’s shifting culture. However, it means something that so many key players involved with the show, including Gustin, have spoken out against Sawyer’s comments. As number one on the call sheet, Gustin had a particular responsibility to make his stance clear. Fans should be relieved to know Gustin, Wallace, and their coworkers on The Flash are among many celebrities who refuse to keep painting on a smile and ignoring bigoted views.
Source: Grant Gustin/Instagram
