Top 20 Biggest The CW Scandals

#20: Mass Cancellations

Various

In 2022, with rumors emerging of The CW’s sale to Nexstar Media Group, the network took the action to cancel a whopping 10 shows! The first titles to get the axe included “The Originals” spin-off “Legacies,” the reboot of the ‘80s soap opera “Dynasty[a],” and “Legends of Tomorrow.” Several months later, further series were canceled or issued with a final season, such as “The Flash” and “Riverdale.” Understandably, fans of the programs were furious on social media. Once Nexstar took over The CW and focussed on unscripted series and sports, more shows that once defined the network were on the chopping block or given a final season. They included “Superman & Lois” and “Walker,” leaving “All American” as the only pre-Nexstar show to still be on air.

#19: NWA Substance Scandal

“NWA Powerrr” (2019-)

In 2017, Billy Corgan of The Smashing Pumpkins fame bought the National Wrestling Alliance, a brand that had been going since 1948. In 2023, The CW agreed on a deal to host NWA content, including its flagship show, “NWA Powerrr.” Within days, that deal looked in doubt after the pay-per-view “NWA Samhain[b]” aired. One segment allegedly showcased several wrestlers taking illegal substances near the ring. It drew a lot of negative attention, reportedly even from CW executives, which Corgan later denied. Even so, the next month, CW signed a deal to broadcast “WWE NXT” from 2024. After a couple months, “NWA Powerrr” expired on the CW App and began broadcasting on X, formerly Twitter.

#18: The Robert Knepper Allegations

“iZombie” (2015-19)

Best known for his stint as T-Bag in “Prison Break,” Knepper found work in the CW with a role in its Arrowverse. Then, he was cast as Blaine’s father, Angus McDonough[c], in “iZombie,” eventually moving from a recurring character to a regular. However, in 2017, Knepper was accused of assault by costume designer Susan Bertram during filming of 1992’s “Gas Food Lodging.” The actor denied the allegations. This sparked Bertram to file a defamation lawsuit against him, which was settled in 2021. Shortly after Bertram’s original accusation, 4 more women came out with similar experiences with Knepper, which he also denied. In 2018, Knepper was confirmed to be departing “iZombie.” CW’s then-president Mark Pedowitz[d] claimed the actor was always scheduled to leave and it wasn't due to the allegations.

#17: LIV Sportswashing

LIV Golf

In 2021, LIV Golf was formed to rival the PGA Tour. With a vast fortune behind it from Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, LIV began poaching some of the best golfers around, causing the brand to increase in popularity. However, LIV was also quickly embroiled in scandal. It was accused of being a vehicle for Saudi Arabia to hide the country's scandals and alleged human rights abuses with the allure of top-class sport. In 2023, those sportswashing concerns grew louder when the CW announced a broadcasting deal with LIV Golf. In 2025, after struggling to attract the audience size they wanted on the network, LIV Golf moved to Fox Sports.

#16: The Misconduct of Stephen Collins

“7th Heaven” (1996-2006; 2006-07)

After first airing in 1996, “7th Heaven” moved to the CW for its final season, ending in 2007. One of the show’s main stars was Collins, who played Reverend Eric Camden. In 2014, in the midst of a divorce from actor Faye Grant, a voice tape of Collins was leaked that had him admitting to misconduct with a minor. Grant had recorded the confession during marriage counseling in 2012. The police soon investigated the case. However, no criminal charges were filed. The scandal caused Collins to be fired from “Scandal” and be dropped by his talent agency. A couple of months later, he admitted to 3 past offenses against minors, bringing an end to his reputation and career.

#15: The End of “Supernatural”

“Supernatural” (2005-20)

Since debuting in 2005, the fantasy show about the Winchester brothers undertaking the family business of monster hunting soon developed a cult following of die-hard fans. Yet, in 2019, “Supernatural”’s stars, Jenson Ackles, Jared Padalecki, and Misha Collins, announced the series was ending after season 15. While the end of the cult show was always going to be difficult, fans were especially furious at one particular incident. For context, some in the fandom had been shipping Ackles’s Dean and Collins’s Castiel, becoming known as “Destiel.” Late in the final season, Cas confessed his love for Dean before being killed off. Some believed this was the use of the “bury your gays” trope. As for the reaction to the series finale as a whole, many fans showcased their disappointment towards it on social media.

#14: “Supergirl” Cast Mocking Fan Theories

It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s… a dashed hope for queer representation in media! During San Diego Comic Con in 2017, the cast of “Supergirl” gathered to playfully sing about the events of the series’ second season. But during this fun faux musical, actor Jeremy Jordan boldly exclaimed that the characters Lena and Kara– a popular ship in the fandom– were “only friends.” The conviction in which he made such a statement struck a chord with fans of the show hoping to see the two female characters in a romantic relationship. Later in the interview, Jordan jokes that his statement “destroyed Supercorp.” Not quite, but he did prove that he has a super lack of awareness!

#13: Hartley Sawyer's Tweets

“The Flash” (2014-23)

After rising to fame on the soap opera “The Young and the Restless” as one of the actors to portray Kyle Abbott, Sawyer joined the cast of “The Flash” in 2017 as Ralph Dibny, AKA the Elongated Man. Graduating from recurring to a series regular, all looked to be going well for the actor as his reputation increased. Then, in 2020, Sawyer’s career was cut short. Tweets he’d made from 2009 to 2014 resurfaced as they allegedly contained hateful language. While Sawyer apologized for what he said, the CW fired him from “The Flash” and wrote his character out of the show. As of the time of making this video, the actor has not done any showbiz work since 2020.

#12: The Crimes of Ryan Grantham

Various

With roles in “Supernatural,” “iZombie,” and “Riverdale,” Grantham had a storied career in the CW. However, in 2020, he destroyed any hope of a career in acting when Grantham fatally shot his mother at their home in Squamish[e], British Columbia, Canada. Hours later, after filming his mother’s body, the actor packed his car with weapons and drove to assassinate then-Prime Minister Justin Trudeau[f]. Grantham stated in one of his videos that he killed his mother so she wouldn’t see his next deadly plan. In 2022, Grantham was sentenced to life in jail, with parole eligibility after 14 years.

#11: Allison Mack & NXIVM[g]

“Smallville” (2001-11)

With the role of Clark Kent’s BFF Chloe Sullivan in “Smallville,” Mack became a fan-favorite, even getting her own spin-off web series. In 2006, the same year The CW was created, Mack joined NXIVM. The group, which on the surface provided self-improvement seminars, was a cult that abused female members for the enjoyment of its leader, Keith Raniere. Mack rose up the ranks, allegedly taking part in abusing women and recruiting new members. After victims went public with their experience, Mack was charged on several counts, including trafficking and forced labor in 2018. As part of a deal, she gave prosecutors details about Raniere’s operation. After pleading guilty, Mack was sentenced to 3 years in 2021. She was released in 2023.

#10: Taylor Momsen's Behavior

“Gossip Girl” (2007-12)
Before her career change from aspiring young actress to fronting successful rock band The Pretty Reckless, Taylor Momsen starred in “Gossip Girl” as Jenny Humphrey. But according to some sources, her departure from the show wasn’t remotely amicable. Momsen was allegedly fired from her role for her increasingly “bratty” behavior, even after being downgraded from a main to recurring role in season four. Guest star Tim Gunn was quoted as calling her a “diva” and “pathetic” for not remembering her lines. However, a few years later Momsen herself said that she was not fired, and in fact has “never been fired in [her] life.”

#9: Betty Cooper’s Striptease

“Riverdale” (2017-23)
In order to become a member of the Southside Serpents gang, Betty Cooper performed a pole dancing routine on-stage in front of Jughead, Jughead’s father, and her own mother – as well as the other members of the gang. The scene was found to be widely controversial by critics and viewers, who didn’t like the fact that Betty is only a teenager performing a routine for many significantly older men. However, Lili Reinhart came out and said the scene was supposed to make people feel uncomfortable – though she didn’t anticipate it causing as much of a stir as it did.

#8: “90210”’s Cancellation

“90210” (2008-13)
A return to the long-running “90210” franchise began in 2008, but ended abruptly five years later. However, according to leading cast member AnnaLynne McCord, none of the actors were actually told about the cancellation ahead of time. Instead, they found out via a Twitter announcement... along with the general public. McCord said that she thought it “wasn’t cool at all”, and added that she absolutely hated the ending written for her character Naomi. In fact, she hated it so much that she rewrote and filmed her own spoof ending and posted it online for fans to enjoy.

#7: Casting Candice Patton

“The Flash” (2014-23)
Ever since her 1956 debut, DC character Iris West has been canonically white. All that changed when black actress Candice Patton was cast in the iconic role in “The Flash”, causing tremendous backlash from some fans of the comics who didn’t want to see any diverse representation. Speaking to the Washington Post a few years later, Patton says she had no idea her casting would cause so much controversy, but also that she has “solidified the role” – to the point where another black actress, Kiersey Clemons, has been cast to play Iris in the DC Extended Universe.

#6: Backlash Against Marc Guggenheim[h]

“Arrow” (2012-20)
Gun control is a hot topic that needs to be handled carefully, and “Arrow” writer/producer Marc Guggenheim aimed to be sensitive when his show tackled the real-world issue in early 2017. But people on all sides of the gun control debate ended up unsatisfied when the show failed to actually take a stance. Instead of trying to make a political statement, Guggenheim used the subject matter to no real effect, and the fifth-season episode has now become a highly-criticized hallmark of how not to engage with real-world problems through mass media and entertainment.

#5: Threesome Advertisement

“Gossip Girl” (2007-12)
When a preview for an episode of “Gossip Girl” was shown to feature a threesome between some of the main characters – which also involved a same-gender kiss – there was outcry among concerned parents. The Parents Television Council practically demanded that the episode be pulled before it could air, deeming it “reckless and irresponsible”, and worrying it might convince the network’s young audience to copy the behaviors of the characters. However, The CW refused to respond to them and then aired the episode anyway – so nobody stopped Dan, Olivia and Vanessa from having their fun.

#4: Miss Grundy

“Riverdale” (2017-23)
It was enough of a shock for fans of the classic comics to find Miss Grundy was significantly younger than her illustrated counterpart, but throw in an illicit relationship with the series’ protagonist and you’re in for a world of trouble. Portrayed by the show as something forbidden and romantic, it didn’t take long for media outlets to come out and condemn the affair as being coercive and immoral at best and the sexual assault of a minor at worst. Archie actor himself K.J. Apa has described it as a “romance”, and yet it’s been widely criticized as insensitive to fans of the show who may have suffered this kind of abuse themselves.

#3: Mary's Assault

“Reign” (2013-17)
News of this storyline was leaked a few months before the episode was due to air and sparked backlash before it was ever even seen, with petitions circulating on social media to get it preemptively canned. Despite this, The CW went ahead and allowed the episode onto the small screen, and viewers watched Queen Mary be sexually assaulted by enemy soldiers attempting to assassinate King Francis. “Reign’s” showrunner, Laurie McCarthy, later defended the decision to run with the plot in interviews, saying that “it felt political” to “see a woman of arguable power be attacked in this way.”

#2: Killing Off Lexa

“The 100”[i] (2014-20)
At the forefront of storyline-related controversies is the death of Lexa in “The 100”. Lexa was a fan-favorite and one of the show’s few openly LGBTQIA+ characters. Killed by a stray bullet in the scene immediately following the much-teased consummation of her relationship with protagonist Clarke, her death caused tremendous outcry from the show’s fans. Many abandoned or boycotted the show, citing it as an example of the “bury your gays” media trope in which gay characters are frequently killed off. Showrunner Jason Rothenberg[j] eventually apologized for the decision to kill Lexa and admitted that if he had a do-over, he wouldn’t have had things end this way.

#1: Mark Schwahn[k]'s Misconduct

Various CW Shows
When former “One Tree Hill” writer Audrey Wauchope[l] accused Mark Schwahn of sexual harassment on Twitter, 18 other female cast and crew members added their voices to confirm the allegations. In a joint letter signed by all of them, they say that they were “manipulated psychologically and emotionally” by Schwahn, and that years later they are still suffering the effects of his traumatic abuse. In addition, 25 cast and crew members of Schwahn’s other show, “The Royals”, also spoke out against him. Similarly, former executive producer of the “Arrowverse” shows, Andrew Kreisberg[m], was fired in 2017 because of sexual harassment allegations following an internal investigation at the network.

Which of these CW controversies shocked you the most? Or do you have one that we didn’t mention? Let us know below.

[a]DIE-nuh-stee

[b]N-W-A SOW-in
[c]ANG-gus mik-DUN-uh
[d]MARK PED-uh-wits
[e]SKWAH-mish,
[f]JUS-tin troo-DOH
[g]NEK-see-um
[h]MARK GOO-gun-hyme
[i]The ONE-hun-dred
[j]JAY-suhn ROTH-en-burg
[k]MAHK SHWON (The "wahn" sounds like "swan.")
[l]AW-dree WAW-chohp
[m]AN-droo KRYZ-burg