One Tree Hill creator accused of sexual harassment by his cast and crew

Deadline

Stars Sophia Bush, Hilarie Burton and Bethany Joy Lenz joined other cast members and “brave crew” in writing an open letter in support of writer Audrey Wauchope, who tweeted over the weekend of One Tree Hill creator Mark Schwahn’s alleged sexual harassment on set. In the open letter, the cast and crew members said Schwahn's alleged behavior “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.” Schwahn is currently creator/showrunner of E!’s The Royals. “We are monitoring the information carefully,” the three companies behind the show said in a statement to Deadline. “E!, Universal Cable Productions and Lionsgate Television are committed to providing a safe working environment in which everyone is treated respectfully and professionally.”