Sophia Bush & Hilarie Burton Speak Out After 'One Tree Hill' Creator Mark Schwahn Is Fired From 'The Royals'
Mark Schwahn is the latest Hollywood executive to be fired after allegations of sexual harassment.
On Thursday, Lionsgate TV announced in a statement obtained by ET that the 51-year-old showrunner was fired from The Royals. “We have concluded our investigation and Mark will not be returning to The Royals," the statement read. "The 4th season of the show has already completed production and will air as scheduled on E! in the spring."
The creator and executive producer was suspended in November following public accusations of sexual misconduct from his time on One Tree Hill.
Sophia Bush and Hilarie Burton -- co-stars on OTH, which Schwahn created -- spoke out at the time of his suspension, and after hearing that he was now relieved of his duties on The Royals, they have taken to Twitter once again.
Bush, a vehement activist and outspoken feminist, praised those who came forward while taking aim at abusers.
"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," the 35-year-old actress wrote. "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
Over a series of four tweets, Burton, 35, explained why enough was enough while praising the casts and crews at the jobs she had after One Tree Hill:
"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.
2. I had no idea how bad OTH really was until I was taken in by the amazing cast and crew of @WhiteCollarUSA. 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. And thank you to my OTH sisters.
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."
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
Those "OTH sisters" include Bethany Joy Lenz, Jana Kramer, Daphne Zuniga and Danneel Harris, as well as several female crew members, who wrote an open letter supporting OTH staff writer Audrey Wauchope and her writing partner, Rachel Spector, after they accused Schwahn of sexual harassment during their time on the WB/CW series, which ran from 2003 to 2012.
As for The Royals, the women of that drama wrote an open letter last month, published by Variety, after one of the show’s stars, Alexandra Park, released a statement on Twitter saying that she has “been exposed to this reprehensible behavior” by Schwahn.
The 43 women that Bush referred to in her tweet included the 18 women who came forward in the OTH letter and 25 more in The Royals note.
For more on the sexual harassment allegations plaguing Hollywood -- as well as many other industries -- watch the video below.
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