Former One Tree Hill stars Sophia Bush and Hilarie Burton took to Twitter in the wake of the show’s creator Mark Schwahn being fired from his current project amid a slew of sexual harassment accusations dating back to his time on the drama on the CW network.
Bush, 35, tweeted she hoped Schwahn’s fall from grace brought about a measure of closure to those impacted by his actions, while sending a message to ‘the other predators out there.’
Bush tweeted: ‘I hope this is a lesson that sometimes, even if it takes time, justice is served. You’re next.’
Burton and Bush were among the cast members of One Tree Hill to have written an open letter accusing Schwahn of sexual harassment.
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Cathartic: Former One Tree Hill stars Hilarie Burton, 35, (L) and Sophia Bush, 35, (R) took to Twitter on Thursday after the program’s creator Mark Schwahn, 51, was fired from his current project, The Royals, amid multiple accusations of sexual harassment on both shows
She wrote that ’43 women came forward,’ and ‘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.’
Burton, 35, sent a series of tweets in which she said she said how she hadn’t realized how toxic the environment on One Tree Hill was until appearing on other programs with professional leadership, such as White Collar, Grey’s Anatomy and Lethal Weapon.
‘I had no idea how bad OTH really was … thank you to them for showing me how it’s SUPPOSED to be … you have treated me with such respect and kindness,’ the actress wrote.
Canned: Mark Schwahn, pictured in 2015, was dumped after 43 women from The Royals and One Tree Hill accused him of sexual harassment and misconduct
Tick-tock: Bush warned ‘other predators’ that their time is coming sooner or later
Burton said that she felt compelled to ‘speak up now, all these years later’ after having ‘seen what filmmaking should be,’ and realizing ‘You can be talented AND kind.’
She thanked her ‘amazing’ One Tree Hill ‘sisters’ for their solidarity, adding, ‘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.’
Burton explained why she felt a zero tolerance attitude toward sexual harassment and misconduct is essential in the workplace.
‘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,’ said Burton, who was linked to another sexual harassment scandal this fall after Ben Affleck apologized for behaving ‘inappropriately’ toward her during a handsy outing on MTV’s TRL in 2003.
She said tolerance of such abuse leads to ‘a good sport’ label, adding: ‘And then? You meet a Schwahn. A Weinstein.’
In detail: Burton provided a number of relevant statements amid the news of Schwahn’s termination
Schwahn was terminated from E!’s The Royals Thursday after Lionsgate TV finished a probe with E!, Lionsgate TV and Universal Cable Productions into the allegations, which was kick-started by an open letter signed by both One Tree Hill actresses, as well as their co-star Bethany Joy Lenz and writer Rachel Specter in support of One Tree Hill writer Audrey Wauchope after she accused a show runner of harassment, who she did not mention by name.
In the letter, the women detailed how they ‘felt physically unsafe’ and ‘threatened’ during their time on the program, which ran from 2003 through 2012, adding that Schwahn had ‘put [them] in uncomfortable positions’ and ‘manipulated [them] psychologically and emotionally.’
After that, another letter penned by 25 women on The Royals cast and crew linked him to comparable behavior.
Lionsgate TV said Thursday in a statement that the investigation has been wrapped up, and ‘Mark will not be returning to The Royals’ as a result.
The company noted that the show’s fourth season is already finished and set to air next spring on E!, but did not offer any details about its future after that.
Throwback: Burton (L) and Bush (R) played the roles of Peyton Sawyer and Brooke Davis, respectively, on the TV drama
Troubling: Burton was also groped by Ben Affleck in an infamous 2003 clip on TRL, in an instance he subsequently apologized for