Sophia Bush and Hilarie Burton React to ‘One Tree Hill’ Creator Mark Schwahn Being Fired From ‘The Royals’
Just over a month after several One Tree Hill cast and crew members accused the show’s creator, Mark Schwahn, of sexual harassment, Schwahn has been fired from his current show, The Royals.
“We have concluded our investigation and Mark will not be returning to The Royals,” Lionsgate TV said in a statement to Variety. “The 4th season of the show has already completed production and will air as scheduled on E! in the spring.”
Schwahn was suspended in November following allegations of sexual misconduct during his time on One Tree Hill. In an open letter from 18 of the show’s cast and crew members, including stars Sophia Bush, Hilarie Burton, Bethany Joy Lenz, and Shantel Van Santen, the showrunner was accused of psychological and emotional manipulation, speaking to female employees in “deeply upsetting, to traumatizing, to downright illegal” ways, and putting them “in situations where [they] felt physically unsafe” while working on the show.
Following the initial allegations from the OTH cast, 25 cast and crew members from The Royals also accused Schwahn of “repeated unwanted sexual harassment.” In the wake of his firing from that show, Bush and Burton took to Twitter to react to the news.
Bush praised the women who came forward while issuing a warning to other abusers who have not yet been exposed.
“43 women came forward,” she wrote, adding a link to the news of her former boss’ firing. “To the ones who did and to the ones who didn’t or couldn’t, I hope this news is a salve to your souls. To the other predators out there? I hope this is a lesson that sometimes, even if it takes time, justice is served. You’re next.”
43 women came forward. To the ones who did and to the ones who didn’t or couldn’t, I hope this news is a salve to your souls.
To the other predators out there? I hope this is a lesson that sometimes, even if it takes time, justice is served. You’re next. https://t.co/Vq5R0obvjK
— Sophia Bush (@SophiaBush) December 21, 2017
Burton issued a series of tweets stressing the importance of not issuing “degrees of harassment” and praising the cast and crews of shows she worked on following OTH. “I had no idea how bad OTH really was until I was taken in by the amazing cast and crew of @WhiteCollarUSA,” she wrote. “Thank you to them for showing me how it’s SUPPOSED to be. Thank you to the directors who called even though I wouldn’t audition. Thank you to @GreysABC and @ForeverABC. And most recently @LethalWeaponFOX. You have treated me with such respect and kindness. And my ability to speak up now, all these years later, is because I have seen what filmmaking should be. You can be talented AND kind.”
She also gave a special shout-out to her OTH sisters. “You women are amazing,” she tweeted. “When I left all those years ago, I could have never anticipated how strong this bond would remain. It’s a good day, gals. Your art matters. It’s what got me here. Xoxoxo.”
1. The reason we cannot condone "degrees of harassment" is because one day you get your butt or boob grabbed at work. And you laugh it off. You become conditioned. "She's such a good sport" they say. And then? You meet a Schwahn. A Weinstein. https://t.co/axfafD7okg
— Hilarie Burton (@HilarieBurton) December 22, 2017
And most recently @LethalWeaponFOX. You have treated me with such respect and kindness. And my ability to speak up now, all these years later, is because I have seen what filmmaking should be. You can be talented AND kind.
And thank you to my OTH sisters.— Hilarie Burton (@HilarieBurton) December 22, 2017
4. You women are amazing. When I left all those years ago, I could have never anticipated how strong this bond would remain.
It's a good day, gals. Your art matters. It's what got me here. Xoxoxo— Hilarie Burton (@HilarieBurton) December 22, 2017
Schwahn has not commented publicly on the allegations.
(photos via Neilson Barnard/Getty Images + Chris Polk/FilmMagic)
