'The Flash': actor Hartley Sawyer is fired from the series after homophobic and racist comments come to light

The actor Hartley Sawyer, 35, known for playing Elongated Man in T (Warner Channel), was fired from the series after homophobic, racist and misogynistic comments they made on Twitter years ago came to light.

“The only thing stopping me from making mildly racist tweets is knowing that [famous black civil rights activist] Al Sharpton would never stop complaining about me,” he wrote in one of the posts.

“I just raped myself on a date so I wouldn’t have to masturbate,” he said in another.

“Fags are cool, but sports make me fall asleep often,” he posted in another tweet.

“I deeply regret it,” the actor said in a statement on Instagram. “This behavior is not acceptable. There are no words. I threw these words to the wind at that time without recognizing the harm my words could cause, and have caused today.”

All tweets in question were deleted from the actor's account.

View this post on Instagram

My words, irrelevant of being meant with an intention of humor, 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 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. I want to be very clear: this is not reflective of what I think or who I am now. 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.

A post shared by Hartley Sawyer (@hartleysawyer) on May 30, 2020 11 at: 59am PDT