'One Tree Hill' Boss Mark Schwahn Accused Of Sexual Harassment By Female Cast And Crew Members

Female cast and crew members from the teen drama ‘One Tree Hill’ have come forward to accuse the show’s boss Mark Schwahn of sexual harassment.

A total of 18 people who worked both on and off camera on the hit 2000s show - including all of the female cast members - have co-signed a letter in which Schwahn is accused of inappropriate sexual behaviour during their time working with him.

This comes after Audrey Wauchope, a writer on the show, revealed on Twitter she suffered sexual harassment during her time on the show.

In the letter, published in Variety, they name Schwahn explicitly, saying: “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 traumatising, 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.”

The women go on to say that many of them were warned during filming that coming forward about the alleged behaviour could lead to the show being cancelled and “hundreds of… talented people losing their jobs”, adding: “This is not an appropriate amount of pressure to put on young girls.”

They conclude: “We are all deeply grateful for Audrey’s courage. For one another. And for every male cast mate and crew member who has reached out to our group of women to offer their support these last few days. They echo the greater rallying cry that must lead us to change: Believe Women. We are all in this together.”

Schwahn is currently the showrunner on E!’s ‘The Royals’, with a spokesperson for the network saying in a statement: “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 women’s joint open letter in full here.