Hilarie Burton has described how her former co-star Chad Michael Murray stood up for her after she was allegedly attacked by disgraced One Tree Hill showrunner Mark Schwahn.
On her podcast drama Queens, with former co-stars Sophia Bush and Bethany Joy Lenz, Burton claimed the alleged attack took place after they both traveled to Honey Grove, Texas, to announce to a high school that they had won a contest to film their campus One Tree Hill.
Burton, who has been vocal about the alleged treatment she suffered from Schwahn in the past, never named him on the podcast, only identifying him as her “boss.”
‘He attacked me while escaping from there. He attacked me again in the car driving from Raleigh to Wilmington, he went straight to the set and told Danneel [Ackles] that he and I made out the whole time and it was fun and he was trying to make her jealous. So she confronted me about it and said, “What are you doing?” And I’m like, “What are you talking about?” She claimed.
“Well, then we had to do this trip with him. And that’s really been the last three months where my blood has been boiling. I didn’t know how to process it anymore and you can see that in the episode. You can see I’m not there… I look like shit, I’m not turning on anyway.’
‘He watched our boss grab me’: Hilarie Burton has described how her former co-star Chad Michael Murray attacked disgraced One Tree Hill showrunner Mark during an alleged assault on her CW show’s fourth season Schwahn stepped in for her
Burton, who claimed she reported Schwahn to numerous people, then recalled how Chad defended her.
‘Chad [Michael Murray] walked up and says, “What are you doing?” That’s what he told our boss in the bar. He watched our boss grab me in front of a lot of people, and you know, Chad had nothing to lose because he knew our boss hated him anyway.
“A lot of people had a lot to lose, so you don’t talk when you have a lot to lose. But [our boss] was so comfortable that it wasn’t something he had a problem with. [He thought]”I can do whatever I want to her in public if her boyfriend is there.”‘
Sophia praised Chad, her ex-husband, for defending Burton at the time, citing his rank on the show to shield him from possible punishment.
“He was protected as number 1 on the call log,” Sophia noted of her ex-husband. “He had the most power, so he could come and push our boss off you and engage in a fight. And I’m glad he did. I want everyone to follow this lead.
“I understand the reality that people are afraid that they will punch a hole in the ship and the ship will then sink, but get over it and protect your people. Because this idea that it’s okay to look down, it’s not,” she said.
“And thank God, Hilarie, for having that moment with Chad, who was already so at odds with our boss.”
Burton was one of many women who took action against Schwahn in 2017 with allegations of sexual misconduct. She claimed he force-kissed her twice during her work with him on One Tree Hill.
The women have spoken out again about Schwahn in the years since, claiming last year they were heavily armed to do their 2006 Maxim shoot during the show.
He had her back: Speaking with former co-stars Sophia Bush and Bethany Joy Lenz on her podcast, Drama Queens, Burton said Chad spoke up after Schwahn allegedly grabbed her
‘Chad came up and said, ‘What are you doing?’: Burton recalled her former co-star pictured in 2019
Iconic Show: Burton and Sophia Bush pictured with co-stars James Lafferty, Bethany Joy Lenz and Murray in 2004
Schwahn was eventually fired by E! Series The Royals in 2017, after Burton, Sophia and other One Tree Hill cast members wrote an open letter showing their support for Audrey Wauchope, who claimed women on the show were both “psychic and also emotionally abused.
The letter read: “Many of us have been psychologically and emotionally manipulated to varying degrees. More than one of us is still in treatment for post-traumatic stress.
“Many of us were placed in uncomfortable positions and quickly learned to fight back, sometimes physically, because we realized the superiors in the room weren’t the protectors they were supposed to be.
“Many of us have been spoken to in ways that have ranged from deeply disturbing to traumatizing to downright illegal. And some of us were put in positions where we felt physically unsafe.’
Airing from 2003 to 2012, One Tree Hill followed the lives of a group of young men and women growing up in North Carolina. Schwahn wrote and directed the series and served as showrunner for the eight seasons.
Little Screen Stars: One Tree Hill aired from 2003 to 2012 and followed the lives of a group of young men and women growing up in North Carolina