'One Tree Hill' cast accuse producer Mark Schwahn of sexual misconduct

Sophia Bush, Hilarie Burton and Bethany Joy Lenz stand together


Ians November 15, 2017
PHOTO: VARIETY

Teen drama about a group of young men and women growing up in North Carolina, One Tree Hill (OTH) aired from 2003 to 2012. Mark Schwahn created the series and was the showrunner for the entirety.

The cast and crew members of the hit American drama series have written a letter accusing Schwahn of sexual harassment offering support to former colleague Audrey Wauchope.

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Stars Sophia Bush, Hilarie Burton and Bethany Joy Lenz wrote on Monday that they "have chosen this forum to stand together in support of Audrey Wauchope and one another" following statements made by Wauchope - a former writer on the series - on Twitter on Saturday accusing Schwahn of harassment.

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.

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"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."

The continued, "Many of us were spoken to in ways that ran the spectrum from deeply upsetting, to traumatising, to downright illegal. A few of us were even put in positions where we felt physically unsafe."

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In her Twitter comments, Wauchope described being subjected to frequent and unwanted touching by Schwahn, who she did not identify by name; seeing Schwahn show naked photos of an actress that he was having a sexual relationship with two staffers without the actress' knowledge; and Schwahn calling Wauchope's writing partner into his office to try to talk her out of getting married and into dating him.

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Wauchope wrote last week: "I'm furious and sad and everything else for the women who have sat on that couch next to that man. And I'm furious and sad and everything else that years later I don't feel safe to be able to do anything real about this and that it seems to be happening all over this town."

In response to the letter, several male co-stars including James Lafferty and Lee Norris came forward to give the actresses their backing.

Lafferty, who played Nathan Scott, tweeted, "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."

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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."

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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."

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Antwon Tanner, who played ‘Skills' 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."

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