“One Tree Hill” stars like James Lafferty and Lee Norris have lent their support to the show’s female cast and crew members like Sophia Bush, Hilarie Burton and Bethany Joy Lenz, who penned an open letter accusing showrunner Mark Schwahn of sexual misconduct.
The letter, shared on Monday, supported the show’s writer Audrey Wauchope and “one other” in Wauchope’s claims of sexual harassment during her time on the show, which ran from 2003 to 2012.
Though Wauchope didn’t directly name Schwahn in her tweets over the weekend, the female stars of the drama did.
“Many of us were, to varying degrees, manipulated psychologically and emotionally,” the letter read after naming Schwahn directly, reports etonline.com.
The letter also claimed that Schwahn spoke to them in ways that were “deeply upsetting, to traumatizing, to downright illegal,” saying they were put in positions that made them feel “physically unsafe.”
In response to the letter, several male co-stars came forward to give the actresses their backing.
Lafferty, who played Nathan Scott, tweeted a message, saying: “I applaud every woman on OTH, every woman on earth, who stands up to a system that has failed them in the past and in this moment. I stand with them.”
Noting that many people involved with the show “embody the virtues of the story we were trying to tell”, he added that he hopes to add “change” to that list of virtues.
Bush shared a message from Norris, who played Marvin ‘Mouth’ McFadden, thanking him for his words.
“Much love to our brother bear Lee Norris, who has always been supportive. He’s one of the good ones too,” Bush wrote.
Norris noted that the ladies of the show are “more than capable of speaking for themselves”, and added, “These are not my stories to tell, but I wanted to voice my complete support of them”.
Antwon Tanner, who played Antwon ‘Skills’ Taylor, tweeted: “To my sisters/all the women of OTH that have come forward and showed their bravery. I want you to know that I love you and I support you.”
Austin Nichols, who played Julian Baker, tweeted: “I stand with all my OTH sisters. We have to change. We have to be better. All of us. This is unacceptable.”
Actor Robert Buckley, who played Clay Evans, wrote: “To the women of OTH that have come forward and bravely used their voices, I want you to know I believe you, I respect you and I support you.”
Bryan Greenberg, who played Jake Jaglieski, was “shocked and saddened to hear what the women of OTH had to endure”, and supports them “fully”, reports etonline.com.
Stephen Colletti, who appeared as Chase Adams on the show, tweeted: “I want to acknowledge the women of OTH who have penned their letter with deep wounds from a culture unacceptable for anyone, at any age, and in any business. I have the utmost respect of your position in righting the wrongs you have endured. I stand for you, for better.”
