Last week brought the shocking news that Arrowverse exec producer Andrew Kreisberg had been suspended after 19 men and women had come forward to accuse him of sexual harassment. It was a surprise to fans of The CW’s superhero shows as the Arrowverse, and in particular Supergirl, had always supported female empowerment and equality on screen.
Even if the behavior of one of the franchise’s architects flies in the face of what the series teach us though, at least we know that the show’s stars fully believe in what they portray on TV. Both Arrow‘s Emily Bett Rickards and Supergirl herself, Melissa Benoist, have posted messages on Twitter to denounce any sexual harassment within the entertainment industry and beyond. Obviously, it would unprofessional of them to name names, but the subtext is clear: they definitely do not support Kreisberg’s actions.
First off, Benoist shared this passionate speech, making a promise that she’ll endeavour to ensure the Supergirl set will be a “respectful and collaborative” place to work going forward.
https://twitter.com/MelissaBenoist/status/929902659032596480?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fscreenrant.com%2Farrowverse-sexual-harassment-reaction%2F
Rickards then came forward with her own response. It shared the same core message as Benoist’s but was somewhat more heated towards those who sexually harass women or those who are complicit in doing nothing about it.
https://twitter.com/EmilyBett/status/929915415324532736?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fscreenrant.com%2Farrowverse-sexual-harassment-reaction%2F
Rickards’ message is particularly interesting as it seems to be at least partially aimed at Arrow showrunner Marc Guggenheim. Recently, he posted a controversial Tweet about “reverse sexism” that was heavily criticized for both its timing and general content. It’s clear that Rickards does not agree with his statements at all.
As we said, Andrew Kreisberg is currently suspended, rather than fired, from his position at The CW. However, due to the number of allegations against him and the backlash his actions have received, it seems unlikely right now that he’ll ever be invited back. Thankfully then, there are other talented writers on these shows who can step up to take his place and the Arrowverse should continue unaffected by all this.