The Flash star Grant Gustin has responded to the news that his co-star Hartley Sawyer, who played Ralph Dibny in the hit superhero show, has been fired from the series after racist tweets resurfaced online. Posting a statement from the series' showrunner, Eric Wallace, on Instagram, Grant captioned the post: "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."
The pair co-starred on The Flash
Eric's statement read: "Many of you learned that Harley Sawyer will not be returning for season seven of The Flash. 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 protests continual harassment... 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 his social media posts
Stephen Amell, who played Oliver Queen in Arrow, also spoke about the incident, saying: "Grant is one of the most thoughtful guys I know. He listens... and he wears his heart on his sleeve. Proud to have worked with him. Also... I'm aware that the showrunner wrote this. I'm supporting my friend. That's it."
Hartley has since apologised for his actions and posted a statement on Instagram after his tweets resurfaced back in May, writing: "My words, irrelevant of being meant with an intent of humour, 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 behaviour. 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."