Showrunner Mark Schwahn has been suspended from his E! drama “The Royals” amid mounting allegations of sexual misconduct.
“E!, Universal Cable Productions and Lionsgate Television take sexual harassment allegations very seriously, investigate them thoroughly and independently, and take appropriate action,” said the studios in a statement to Variety. “Lionsgate has suspended Mark Schwahn from ‘The Royals’ as we continue our investigation.”
Created by Schwahn, “The Royals” wrapped production on its fourth season in September and is set to premiere in March.
In a letter to Variety, 18 women who worked on Schwahn’s previous show, the Warner Bros. TV drama “One Tree Hill,” came forward to accuse Schwahn of sexual harassment. “Many of us were, to varying degrees, manipulated psychologically and emotionally,” the group of actors, writers, and crewmembers wrote. “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.”
“The Royals” is produced by Lionsgate Television and Universal Cable Productions. The show tells the soap-opera story of a fictionalized version of the British royal family.
Reps for Schwahn did not immediately respond to Variety‘s request for comment.
