Actor Hartley Sawyer has been fired from The Flash TV series after a slew of controversial social media posts resurfaced. The tweets were dated between 2012-2014 and come well before he appeared on The Flash in 2017.
Regardless of the timing, Warner Bros. and The CW have terminated their contracts with Hartley and say his words don't align with their company.
The Flash showrunner Eric Wallace said in a joint statement with the network and studio: "Hartley Sawyer will not be returning for Season 7 of The Flash.
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"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."
The 35-year-old's tweets were labelled racist, misogynistic and concerning due to some referring to sexual assault.
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In one post, Hartley said: "As a lad, one of my favourite activities was kidnapping homeless women and cutting off their breasts," while another said: "The only thing stopping me from doing mildly racist things is the knowledge that Al Sharpton would never stop complaining about me."
A third said: "Things only women should be in: twilight screenings, gynecologists [sic] offices, and Porsches."
The tweets have come back into the social conversation at a time when people are being held accountable for their actions and words as people across America speak up against racism.
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Mr Wallace said in a separate statement that he was devastated when he saw the tweets resurface.
"This morning, many of you learned that Hartley Sawyer will not be returning for Season Seven of THE FLASH," he said on social media.
"Concerning his social media tweets, they broke my heart and made me mad as hell. And they're indicative of the larger problem in our country.
"Because at present, our country still accepts and protects the continual harassment - unconscious or otherwise - terrorizing and brutalizing of Black and Brown people, which is far too often fatal. That's why our country is standing up once again and shouting 'ENOUGH!' and taking to the streets to bring about active change."
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Hartley has apologised for the hurt and offence caused by the tweets and hopes people can forgive him.
"My words, irrelevant of being meant with an intent of humour, were hurtful, and unacceptable," he wrote on Instagram.
"I am ashamed I was capable of these really horrible attempts to get attention at that time. This was not acceptable behaviour. 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."
It's unclear how The Flash intend to make his character exit the show when it returns next year.
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