The “One Tree Hill” cast members and crew have penned a letter accusing former show runner Mark Schwann of sexual harassment.
The accusation came about when cast members began offering support to their colleague, Audrey Wauchope. Actors, Sophia Bush, Hilarie Burton and Bethany Joy Lenz wrote Monday that they “have chosen this forum to stand together in support of Audrey Wauchope and one another” following Wauchope’s statements.
In her Twitter comments, the “One Tree Hill” staff writer Wauchope describes being subjected to unwanted touching by Schwahn, who she did not identify by name. She continues: “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.” Wauchope has also stated that Schwahn shared naked photos around of an actress he was having relations with at the time as well as trying to stop a colleague from getting married to instead date him.
In the letter, 18 women who worked on the show claimed, “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. ”
One Tree Hill was a teen drama about young people growing up in North Carolina, it aired from 2003-2012. Schwahn created the series, and was showrunner for the entirety of its run.
The male cast members have been offering their support to the female cast and crew of One Tree Hill via their various social media platforms.
In a statement Monday, E!, Universal Cable Productions and Lionsgate Television — the companies behind Schwahn’s current show, “The Royals” — said, “We are monitoring the information carefully. E!, Universal Cable Productions and Lionsgate Television are committed to providing a safe working environment in which everyone is treated respectfully and professionally.”
Read the letter from the “One Tree Hill” cast and crew members here in an exclusive.