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Late last week the news came out that Supergirl showrunner, Andrew Kreisberg, was suspended following sexual harassment claims by 19 people, 15 women and 4 men, who spoke to Variety. Kreisberg is responsible for creating Supergirl along with The CW’s Arrow, The Flash and Legends of Tomorrow. Supergirl’s Melissa Benoist along with Arrow’s Emily Bett Rickards and The Flash’s Grant Gustin have issued general statements about sexual assault and abuse in their industry following Kreisberg’s suspension. (You can read those through the links on each of their names.) I especially liked Rickard’s tweet which put it so succinctly and well. “To the men who committed sexual harassment, who perpetuated rape culture, who turn a ‘blind eye,’ and complain about ‘reverse sexism’: You are weak and complicit. To the women who found the strength to speak up, to the women who supported one another and to the women finding their voice: You can. You are heroines.”

All this comes to mind as I read about another showrunner, One Tree Hill’s Mark Schwahn, who groped, emotionally and physically abused his cast, co-workers and writers. He said disgusting things to the women and men and psychologically traumatized just about everyone. This news came out in a series of powerful tweets by writer Audrey Wauchope, a staff writer at One Tree Hill. She didn’t name Schwahn, just described his horrible and abusive behavior. She also didn’t blame the men who witnessed it, writing that they were victims of abuse as well. You can read her tweets at this link in their entirety and here’s an excerpt. Wauchope wrote that the Kreisberg case encouraged her to speak out.

One of the 1st things we were told was that the showrunner hired female writers on the basis of their looks. That’s why you’re here – he wants to fuck you.

The staff sat on couches. Female writers would try to get the spot where the showrunner wouldn’t sit as to not be touched. Often men would help out by sitting next to him, thus protecting the women.

Sometimes we wouldn’t luck out and he’d just squeeze his disgusting body in between us and put his arms around us, grinning. He pet hair. He massaged shoulders. I know he did more but not to me so they’re not my stories to share.

Moving on. Men on staff were shown naked photos of on an actress he was having an affair with. Naked photos she didn’t know were being passed around . Naked photos they didn’t want to see. This is such a violation,both to the actress and to the men forced to look and participate

He’s a man in a position of power who was allowed to run a television show for years where this behavior continuously went on. I don’t blame the men on that staff – I truly believe they were also in a way victims of psychological abuse and didn’t know what to do.

[From Audrey Wauchope on Twitter]

Wauchope went on to tweet that there was a sexual harassment meeting for staff but of course Schwahn did not attend. She wrote “The town is littered with the collateral damage of abusers who have been given free reign.”

In support of Wauchope, 18 women who were cast and crew of One Tree Hill confirmed her account on the record with their names. They named the showrunner as Schwahn, and gave additional information about the trauma and abuse they were subjected to. They write that they formed a kind of camaraderie and looked out for each other to make sure that other women were protected. I have to cut their statement down for space but please read it at Variety as the whole thing is incredible. One Tree Hill ran from 2003 to 2012.

To Whom It May Concern,

All of the female cast members of One Tree Hill have chosen this forum to stand together in support of Audrey Wauchope and one another. To use terminology that has become familiar as the systemic reality of sexual harassment and assault has come more and more to light, Mark Schwahn’s behavior over the duration of the filming of One Tree Hill was something of an “open secret.” Many of us were, to varying degrees, manipulated psychologically and emotionally. More than one of us is still in treatment for post-traumatic stress. Many of us were put in uncomfortable positions and had to swiftly learn to fight back, sometimes physically, because it was made clear to us that the supervisors in the room were not the protectors they were supposed to be. Many of us were spoken to in ways that ran the spectrum from deeply upsetting, to traumatizing, to downright illegal. And a few of us were put in positions where we felt physically unsafe. More than one woman on our show had her career trajectory threatened.

The through line in all of this was, and still is, our unwavering support of and faith in one another. We confided in each other. We set up safe spaces to talk about his behavior and how to handle it. To warn new women who joined our ranks. We understood that a lot of it was orchestrated in ways that kept it out of sight for the studio back home. We also understood that no one was fully unaware. The lack of action that has been routine, the turning of the other cheek, is intolerable. We collectively want to echo the calls of women everywhere that vehemently demand change, in all industries…

With Love and Courage,

The Cast,

Sophia Bush, Hilarie Burton, Bethany Joy Lenz, Danneel Harris, Michaela McManus, Kate Voegele, Daphne Zuniga, India DeBeaufort, Bevin Prince, Jana Kramer, Shantel Van Santen, and Allison Munn

And Brave Crew,

Audrey Wauchope, Rachel Specter, Jane Beck, Tarin Squillante, Cristy Koebley, JoJo Stephens

And All the rest of the Women We Worked With Who Are Finding Their Voices as We Speak

[From Variety]

I read this and am now in tears for these women, for what they went through and for their bravery and strength in speaking out. James Lafferty, Austin Nichols, and Stephen Colletti of OTH also tweeted their support. As these incredible women wrote, I hope we’re witnessing a watershed moment in Hollywood and in so many other industries where abusive men in power are being called out for the predators they are and are rightfully losing their positions. Schwahn is the creator and showrunner for The Royals, which has been renewed for a fourth season at E! and is currently in production, judging by their Facebook page. FIRE HIM. REPLACE HIM.

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