Former Batwoman star Ruby Rose has leveled a series of allegations about their time on the CW series — including that they were forced off the show.
In an Instagram Story Rose shared on Wednesday, they claimed that rather than leaving the show of their own volition at the end of season one, they were forced off. The actor also said they were forced back to work just 10 days after a serious surgery and that working conditions on set were unsafe, resulting in serious injuries to crewmembers.
“I will come for you so what happened to me never happens to another person again,” Rose writes, addressing Batwoman showrunner Caroline Dries, executive producers Greg Berlanti and Sarah Schechter, and The CW. “And so I can finally take back my life and the truth. Shame on you.”
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Rose writes later in the Instagram Story, “To my dear, dear fans still asking if I will return to that awful show, I wouldn’t return for any amount of money nor if a gun were to my head …NOR DID I QUIT. I DID NOT QUIT, they ruined Kate Kane and they destroyed Batwoman, not me. I followed orders, and if I wanted to stay I was going to have to sign my rights away. Any threats, any bullying tactics or blackmail would not make me stand down.”
In a statement, Batwoman producer Warner Bros. TV essentially confirmed that Rose was let go, saying the studio opted not to pick up Rose’s option for season two after “complaints about workplace behavior.”
Rose was injured filming a stunt for the show early in the first season and underwent surgery for two herniated discs. Rose alleges that Warner Bros. TV pushed them to return to set just 10 days after the surgery “or the whole crew and cast would be fired and I’d let everyone down because [then WB Television Group head] Peter Roth said he wouldn’t recast and I just lost the studio millions (by getting injured on his set).”
Rose also claimed that Dries pushed to complete filming on Batwoman’s first season at the onset of the pandemic, even after fellow CW and Berlanti-produced shows like Riverdale and The Flash had shut down. They further allege that a crewmember suffered third-degree burns and a production assistant was left quadriplegic after an on-set accident; in the latter case, Rose says The CW initially declined to help the PA, who resorted to GoFundMe to pay for medical expenses.
Rose also alleges that Dougray Scott, who played Kate’s father, Jacob Kane, in the first two seasons “hurt a female stunt double” and “yelled like a little bitch at women and was a nightmare.” Scott denied that in a statement, saying “I absolutely and completely refute the defamatory and damaging claims made against me by [Rose]; they are entirely made up and never happened.”
Warner Bros. TV issued its own fiery statement in response to the allegations, although it does not address the claims about working conditions on set or Rose being pushed to return to work following surgery. “Despite the revisionist history that Ruby Rose is now sharing online aimed at the producers, the cast and crew, the network, and the studio,” the statement reads, “the truth is that Warner Bros. Television had decided not to exercise its option to engage Ruby for season two of Batwoman based on multiple complaints about workplace behavior that were extensively reviewed and handled privately out of respect for all concerned.”
The change in tone is notable from both sides compared to when Rose exited Batwoman at the end of its first season, in a move that caught the show’s fans by surprise. At the time, both Rose and the show’s producers issued statements praising one another and noting the groundbreaking nature of the series, the first live-action show to center on a lesbian superhero.
Over the weekend, Rose posted screenshots of emails and text messages supporting their claims about problems on the Batwoman set, including being pressed to do magazine cover shoots within days of her surgery. She also directed further ire at Scott, writing “I have too many witnesses coming forward with worse than just your anger issues.”
That led Warner Bros. to issue a statement in support of Scott. “We condemn the comments made by Ruby Rose about Dougray Scott,” the statement reads. “Warner Bros. has found Mr. Scott to be a consummate professional, and never received any allegation against him of bullying, or of abusive behavior on his part. Mr. Scott was greatly respected and admired by his colleagues, and was a leader on the set.”
Javicia Leslie signed on to play the title role in Batwoman ahead of season two, although not the same character as Rose’s Kate Kane. Leslie plays Ryan Wilder, who takes on the mantle of Batwoman. Wallis Day joined the show midway through season two as an “altered version” of Kate, who suffered injuries in a plane crash at the start of the season.
Oct. 25, 10:30 a.m. Updated with further allegations from Rose and responses from Dougray Scott and Warner Bros.
