‘The Flash’ Star Hartley Sawyer Apologizes For Inappropriate Tweets That Got Him Fired: Is It Enough?
When Hartley Sawyer’s tweets from 2011-2014 surfaced, The Flash quickly fired him from the show. Sawyer had tweeted racist and misogynist jokes over the years, which Newsweek reported should anyone wish to read the extent of his comments.
Sawyer did issue an apology on his Instagram account on June 8. It won’t get Elongated Man back on The Flash, but it does show him take responsibility for his actions.
Hartley Sawyer does not ask to return to ‘The Flash’
In his apology, Sawyer seems to accept his fate and take responsibility for his actions. He also apologizes to his coworkers on The Flash for putting them in this situation.
“I’m not here to make excuses,” Sawyer wrote. “Regardless of the intention, my words matter and they carry profound consequences. And mine can and have caused pain and embarrassment, along with feelings I can only imagine, to supporters and fans, my cast mates, the crew, my colleagues and friends. I owe them all an apology. And I owe each of you an apology. Thank you for holding me accountable.”
Hartley Sawyer is ashamed of his old tweets
Sawyer took his Twitter account down, though many of his inappropriate tweets survive as screencaps. Sawyer assured his followers he regrets them all.
“My words, irrelevant of being meant with an intent of humor, were hurtful, and unacceptable,” Sawyer wrote. “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 behavior. 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.”
Hartley Sawyer has made and continues to make efforts to change
Key factors in a genuine apology include taking full accountability, and correcting the offense. Hartley did the former and seems to be committed to the latter, but may have more work to do.
“I want to be very clear: this is not reflective of what I think or who I am now,” Sawyer said. “Years ago, thanks to friends and experiences who helped me to open my eyes, I began my journey into becoming a more responsible adult – in terms of what I say, what I do, and beyond. I’ve largely kept that journey private, and this is another way that I have let so many down. I still have more work to do. But how I define myself now does not take away the impact of my words, or my responsibility for them. I am very sorry.”
One week earlier, Sawyer had tweeted in support of Black Lives Matter protests occurring after the death of George Floyd.
“I am white,” he wrote. “I have white privilege. For too long, I have not used my platform to advocate for POC. I apologize to all my brothers and sisters. ‘The burden cannot just be on the backs of black people to deal with it’ – @ninaturner #BlackLivesMatter”
